Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Manila

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $931 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Manila

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $931 in Manila, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Manila $931

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,519 in Manila, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Manila $1,519

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $2,106 in Manila, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Manila $2,106

Seoul costs about 96% more than Manila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Manila is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$5.61 ₱353

62.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩90.0K

$27.39 ₱1,722

144.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,964

$3.95 ₱248

87.85%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,482

$2.56 ₱161

59.38%

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

$1.60 ₩2,146

$1.42 ₱89.3

12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,081

$0.81 ₱51.1

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,898

$1.17 ₱73.4

211.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,974

$2.36 ₱148

151.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,748

$1.94 ₱122

5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,139

$1.40 ₱88.2

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,659

$1.02 ₱64.3

312.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,795

$2.29 ₱144

55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$7.86 ₱494

128.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.89 ₱307

117.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.5K

$6.77 ₱426

290.55%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,969

$3.38 ₱213

119.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,743

$1.85 ₱117

90.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,884

$2.96 ₱186

98.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,554

$1.79 ₱113

255.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,040

$2.24 ₱141

67.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,345

$2.69 ₱169

-7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,920

$2.20 ₱138

32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,545

$0.59 ₱37.35

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,418

$3.13 ₱197

5.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$9.42 ₱593

96.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,064

$1.33 ₱83.5

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,408

$2.00 ₱126

64.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$0.47 ₱29.54

142.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩61.1K

$12.58 ₱791

261.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,674

$0.78 ₱48.91

346.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩805

$0.23 ₱14.47

160.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$1.94 ₱122

348.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,008

$1.33 ₱83.7

12.78%

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

$29.1K ₩39.1M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

36.45%

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

$28.2K ₩37.9M

$19.7K ₱1.2M

43.21%

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

$209 ₩280.5K

$121 ₱7,635

72.05%

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

$35.13 ₩47.2K

$16.04 ₱1,009

119.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$24.25 ₱1,525

-12.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩77.0K

$43.44 ₱2,732

31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$5.90 ₱371

169.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.63 ₱417

70.89%

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

$1,902 ₩2.6M

$613 ₱38.5K

210.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$8,953 ₱563.1K

151.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩79.1K

$58.2 ₱3,657

1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.1K

$27.18 ₱1,709

18.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.2K

$77.5 ₱4,875

-9.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.8K

$57.0 ₱3,583

44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$534 ₱33.6K

65.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩837.5K

$287 ₱18.0K

117.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$1,916 ₱120.5K

30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$677 ₱42.6K

88.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.1M

$4,439 ₱279.1K

572.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$2,556 ₱160.8K

363.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$485 ₱30.5K

651.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.43

-45.09%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Manila

$287 30.2% 54% $337

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Manila

$221 23.3% 53.8% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Manila

$162 17% 39% $103

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Manila

$107 11.3% 41.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Manila

$99 10.4% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Manila

$57 6% 29.1% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Manila

$16 1.7% 71% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $534 in Manila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 652% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $27.00 in Manila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $221 – making Manila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Manila

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,780,148 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Seoul
Manila

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 Manila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,822 in Seoul, $931 in Manila – roughly 96% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,396 in Manila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manila, 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 $1,822 in Seoul and $931 in Manila. That's a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 261% less in Manila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manila, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Manila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manila to $1,822 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Manila. 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.