Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Magallanes, Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Magallanes, Cavite: $703 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Magallanes, Cavite
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Magallanes, Cavite Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Magallanes, Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Magallanes, Cavite

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 Magallanes, Cavite actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $703 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Magallanes, Cavite $703

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,057 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Magallanes, Cavite $1,057

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,412 in Magallanes, Cavite, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Magallanes, Cavite $1,412

Seoul costs about 155% more than Magallanes, Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Magallanes, Cavite is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.37 ₱212

161.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$14.35 ₱904

376.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.84 ₱179

165.49%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.02 ₱127

109.41%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.71 ₱44.47

129.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.32 ₱20.09

131.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.27 ₱80.3

186.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.04 ₱129

201.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.85 ₱116

8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.02 ₱64.3

206.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.06 ₱66.6

307.55%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.92 ₱121

88.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.29 ₱396

183.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.62 ₱228

188.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.78 ₱427

280.53%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.73 ₱172

180.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.34 ₱84.1

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.42 ₱152

140.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.07 ₱67.5

499.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.74 ₱109

115.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.74 ₱109

45.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.83 ₱52.0

242.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.56 ₱35.24

98.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.18 ₱200

5.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$7.29 ₱459

153.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.96 ₱60.3

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.63 ₱102

106.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.26 ₱16.07

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$12.00 ₱756

284.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.65 ₱41.11

436.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.77

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.97 ₱124

349.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.24 ₱78.3

21.77%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

56.35%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$16.4K ₱1.0M

71.59%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$105 ₱6,635

106.40%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$13.86 ₱873

153.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$26.12 ₱1,644

-18.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$36.66 ₱2,308

58.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.16 ₱262

287.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.30 ₱333

113.40%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$134 ₱8,447

1351.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$6,827 ₱429.8K

234.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$37.50 ₱2,361

52.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$17.86 ₱1,124

86.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$67.0 ₱4,220

6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$62.8 ₱3,954

31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$243 ₱15.3K

271.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$162 ₱10.2K

277.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$442 ₱27.8K

472.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$308 ₱19.4K

311.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,772 ₱174.5K

961.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$935 ₱58.9K

1172.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.79

-39.91%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Magallanes, Cavite: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Magallanes, Cavite

$162 23% 73.5% $450

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Magallanes, Cavite

$176 25% 63.1% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Magallanes, Cavite

$145 20.7% 46.9% $129

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Magallanes, Cavite

$74 10.6% 59.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Magallanes, Cavite

$83 11.9% 24.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Magallanes, Cavite

$47 6.7% 41.4% $33

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Magallanes, Cavite

$15 2.1% 74% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $243 in Magallanes, Cavite. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $14.00 in Magallanes, Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $176 – making Magallanes, Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Magallanes, Cavite

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

08:53 8:53 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

23,851

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Magallanes, Cavite 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Magallanes, Cavite

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 Magallanes, Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 155% more than Magallanes, Cavite, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,054 in Magallanes, Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Magallanes, Cavite, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $703 in Magallanes, Cavite. That's a gap of about 155%.

Public transport costs about 284% less in Magallanes, Cavite. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Magallanes, Cavite, where all-in costs run around $703, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Magallanes, Cavite it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Magallanes, Cavite – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Magallanes, Cavite. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.