Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mandalgovi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalgovi: $634 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Mandalgovi
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Mandalgovi Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Mandalgovi

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Mandalgovi

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $634 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Mandalgovi $634

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,056 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Mandalgovi $1,056

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,477 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Mandalgovi $1,477

Seoul costs about 187% more than Mandalgovi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Mandalgovi is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$5.72 MNT 20.5K

59.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$31.77 MNT 114.2K

110.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.70 MNT 20.5K

30.18%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.49 MNT 8,944

63.86%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.88 MNT 3,168

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.62 MNT 2,217

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$2.33 MNT 8,362

56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$3.35 MNT 12.0K

77.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.46 MNT 5,236

40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.98 MNT 3,507

214.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.09 MNT 7,518

101.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.05 MNT 7,379

74.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$12.58 MNT 45.2K

42.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.82 MNT 17.3K

120.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$7.38 MNT 26.5K

258.27%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.15 MNT 11.3K

135.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.38 MNT 8,555

48.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$3.82 MNT 13.7K

53.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$3.04 MNT 10.9K

109.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.75 MNT 2,684

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$1.08 MNT 3,878

130.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.74 MNT 6,269

67.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.77 MNT 2,767

49.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$1.69 MNT 6,081

94.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$10.27 MNT 36.9K

80.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.50 MNT 5,403

52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.80 MNT 6,470

82.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$0.52 MNT 1,863

569.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.55 MNT 1,960

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$6.30 MNT 22.6K

38.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.06 MNT 3,812

41.51%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$26.6K MNT 95.6M

9.40%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$34.8K MNT 125.2M

-19.08%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$69.9 MNT 251.1K

198.86%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$7.74 MNT 27.8K

353.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$13.71 MNT 49.3K

54.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$4.10 MNT 14.7K

176.34%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$809 MNT 2.9M

135.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$8,442 MNT 30.3M

166.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$83.4 MNT 299.7K

-29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$44.82 MNT 161.0K

-28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$105 MNT 377.5K

-33.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$191 MNT 685.9K

-56.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

10.32

-60.47%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mandalgovi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Mandalgovi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Mandalgovi

$238 36.7% 50.4% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Mandalgovi

$91 14.1% 65.6% $174

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mandalgovi

$117 18.1% 36.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mandalgovi

$191 29.4% 74.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Mandalgovi

$8.2 * 1.3% 89.7% $72

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Mandalgovi

$3.3 * 0.5% 94.2% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $32.00 in Mandalgovi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $238 – making Mandalgovi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇳 Mandalgovi

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

10,888

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Mandalgovi 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Mandalgovi

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 Mandalgovi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,822 in Seoul, $634 in Mandalgovi – roughly 187% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $951 in Mandalgovi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,822 in Seoul and $634 in Mandalgovi. That's a gap of about 187%.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $809 in Mandalgovi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mandalgovi, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Mandalgovi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mandalgovi – 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 Mandalgovi. 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.