Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $841 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Seoul $1,794
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Seoul $2,863
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Seoul $3,931
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Seoul is roughly 113% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Mandaluyong is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.72 ₱297

86.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.62 ₱1,046

311.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.53 ₱223

113.60%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.18 ₱137

94.04%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.99 ₱62.1

64.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.49 ₱30.84

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.22 ₱76.7

198.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.41 ₱152

155.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.68 ₱105

19.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.30 ₱81.6

140.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.03 ₱64.8

319.42%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.21 ₱139

63.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.18 ₱326

244.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.84 ₱305

115.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.82 ₱429

278.30%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.38 ₱213

126.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.89 ₱119

78.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.09 ₱194

88.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.85 ₱116

246.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.21 ₱139

69.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.63 ₱166

-3.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.62 ₱39.08

358.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.49 ₱30.84

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.94 ₱185

13.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.95 ₱564

106.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.95 ₱60.0

152.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.07 ₱130

62.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.38 ₱23.73

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.72 ₱45.59

384.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.47

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.95 ₱122

354.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.22 ₱76.5

23.77%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

39.04%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

46.06%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$138 ₱8,711

57.21%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.70 ₱1,114

98.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.54 ₱1,545

-13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$31.59 ₱1,989

83.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.11 ₱385

85.11%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$131 ₱8,261

1384.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,790 ₱553.4K

160.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$29.06 ₱1,830

96.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$27.11 ₱1,707

23.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.2 ₱4,481

0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$54.9 ₱3,454

50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$622 ₱39.1K

44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$241 ₱15.1K

154.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,177 ₱74.1K

114.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$724 ₱45.6K

74.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,810 ₱176.9K

946.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$533 ₱33.6K

584.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 60.7% $371

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 58.1% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 34.1% $93

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 50.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 25.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 45.7% $37

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 94.1% $54

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 $901 in Seoul and $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 585% 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $200 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

425,758

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Mandaluyong 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Mandaluyong differ by about 113% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $841 including rent). Mandaluyong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 585% 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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $131 in Mandaluyong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $841 in Mandaluyong versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandaluyong but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.