Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Magadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Magadan: $1,005 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Magadan
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Magadan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Magadan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Magadan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seoul and in Magadan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $1,005 in Magadan.

Seoul $1,822
Magadan $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,585 in Magadan.

Seoul $2,847
Magadan $1,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $2,164 in Magadan.

Seoul $3,872
Magadan $2,164

Living in Seoul is roughly 81% more expensive than in Magadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Magadan is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$11.46 ₽975

-20.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$36.52 ₽3,107

83.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$6.39 ₽544

16.12%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.77 ₽236

47.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₩2,141

$1.11 ₽94.3

44.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.57 ₽48.15

40.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.68 ₽143

117.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$3.02 ₽257

96.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.10 ₽93.3

86.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.72 ₽61.2

327.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.16 ₽98.5

262.93%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.51 ₽128

136.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$10.97 ₽933

63.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$5.26 ₽447

102.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$12.84 ₽1,092

105.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.68 ₽143

341.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.80 ₽153

96.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.69 ₽144

247.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$2.36 ₽201

169.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.79 ₽67.4

374.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.59 ₽50.3

322.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.47 ₽125

98.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.66 ₽56.1

74.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$2.66 ₽226

23.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$6.64 ₽565

178.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.03 ₽87.8

121.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.00 ₽170

64.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.52 ₽44.54

119.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.31 ₽197

50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.36 ₽30.42

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$5.02 ₽427

73.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$0.86 ₽73.4

74.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$34.8K ₽3.0M

-16.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$32.1K ₽2.7M

-12.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$209 ₩279.9K

$108 ₽9,180

93.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$5.71 ₽486

515.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$7.40 ₽630

186.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$34.01 ₽2,894

68.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$22.93 ₽1,951

-30.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.18 ₽526

83.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$389 ₽33.1K

389.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$7,208 ₽613.3K

212.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$70.7 ₽6,014

-16.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$49.87 ₽4,243

-35.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$130 ₽11.1K

-46.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$114 ₽9,684

-27.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$433 ₽36.9K

104.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$299 ₽25.5K

108.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$840 ₽71.5K

196.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$573 ₽48.7K

122.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$1,927 ₽164.0K

1448.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,333 ₽113.5K

788.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

21.33

-80.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Magadan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Magadan

$299 29.8% 52% $324

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Magadan

$204 20.3% 57.4% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Magadan

$121 12% 54.4% $144

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Magadan

$165 16.4% 10.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Magadan

$164 16.3% 49.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Magadan

$46 4.6% 42% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Magadan

$6.2 * 0.6% 89% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $433 in Magadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $37.00 in Magadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $204 per month, with Magadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇷🇺 Magadan

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

89,193

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Magadan 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Magadan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Magadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magadan wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Magadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,733 in Seoul and $1,507 in Magadan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $433 in Magadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $389 in Magadan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Magadan – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,005 in Magadan versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Magadan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Magadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Magadan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Magadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.