Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Seoul $1,822
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Seoul $2,847
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Seoul $3,872
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Living in Seoul is roughly 514% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.31 ؋149

293.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$15.68 ؋1,015

327.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$3.90 ؋252

90.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$1.19 ؋77.3

242.86%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.56 ؋36.07

185.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.32 ؋20.97

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$0.60 ؋38.87

241.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$0.15 ؋9.41

1953.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.15 ؋139

95.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.59 ؋103

124.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$7.92 ؋513

126.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.37 ؋218

215.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$6.23 ؋404

324.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$0.59 ؋38.23

1157.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.17 ؋76.0

201.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$0.81 ؋52.6

624.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$0.61 ؋39.57

944.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.51 ؋33.06

635.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.40 ؋25.83

522.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.52 ؋33.75

461.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.32 ؋20.76

259.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$1.56 ؋101

110.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.80 ؋52.0

42.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$1.52 ؋98.7

472.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.49 ؋96.3

0.67%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$9,933 ؋643.3K

193.12%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$83.8 ؋5,425

149.37%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$16.94 ؋1,097

107.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$11.69 ؋757

390.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$3.91 ؋253

306.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$4.72 ؋306

140.04%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$78.1 ؋5,058

2335.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$13.14 ؋851

348.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$18.75 ؋1,214

339.89%

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

$231 ؋15.0K

1480.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 77.8% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 62% $164

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 73.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 86.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 73.6% $59

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 94.3% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

Seoul pays 1480% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

4 h 30 min behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

300,600

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Mazar-i-Sharif 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 514% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1480% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 351% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif – a 514% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 514% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.