Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
Learn more

Makassar Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Makassar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $641 in Makassar.

Seoul $1,794
Makassar $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $985 in Makassar.

Seoul $2,863
Makassar $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,328 in Makassar.

Seoul $3,931
Makassar $1,328

Living in Seoul is roughly 180% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Makassar is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

411.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

669.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

139.37%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

120.31%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.50 Rp 9,030

226.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.36 Rp 6,497

105.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

86.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

219.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

596.77%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

140.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

183.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

203.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

392.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

225.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

148.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

205.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

244.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

61.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

289.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.42 Rp 7,526

164.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

27.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

12.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.27 Rp 4,854

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

972.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.49 Rp 8,781

612.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.35 Rp 6,271

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

233.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

104.05%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

22.31%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

-8.83%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

144.51%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

1197.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

-14.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

170.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

91.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

236.61%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

1983.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

510.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

111.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

41.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

106.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$232 Rp 4.2M

288.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$148 Rp 2.7M

313.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$546 Rp 9.8M

362.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$360 Rp 6.5M

252.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

2438.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$803 Rp 14.5M

1382.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$214 Rp 3.8M

1607.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

9.46

-56.87%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Makassar

$148 23.1% 75.8% $464

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Makassar

$197 30.7% 58.7% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Makassar

$117 18.2% 57.5% $157

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Makassar

$69 10.7% 62.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Makassar

$75 11.6% 32.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 65.1% $52

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Makassar

$7.6 1.2% 86.7% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $232 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1607% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $9.00 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $197 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,427,619

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Makassar 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 180% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1607% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $232 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 972% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $93.5 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $641 in Makassar versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar 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 Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.