Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Moe

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,477 in Moe, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Moe
Learn more

Moe Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Moe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,477 in Moe.

Seoul $1,794
Moe $2,477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $3,599 in Moe.

Seoul $2,863
Moe $3,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $4,720 in Moe.

Seoul $3,931
Moe $4,720

Living in Seoul costs roughly 28% less than in Moe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 33% above, Moe 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$13.72 A$19.66

-35.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$76.5 A$110

-10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$10.02 A$14.36

-24.75%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,672

$3.87 A$5.54

9.30%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$3.06 A$4.38

-46.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$1.43 A$2.04

-48.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$5.20 A$7.45

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$4.75 A$6.81

29.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$0.76 A$1.08

164.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$2.91 A$4.17

7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$2.67 A$3.82

61.80%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$3.50 A$5.01

3.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$10.67 A$15.28

67.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$8.23 A$11.79

26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$15.13 A$21.67

70.52%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$2.86 A$4.09

167.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$2.81 A$4.02

20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,789

$2.87 A$4.11

102.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,592

$4.45 A$6.38

44.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,025

$2.03 A$2.91

84.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,404

$2.48 A$3.56

2.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$2.39 A$3.43

18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$1.40 A$2.01

-20.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$30.94 A$44.32

-89.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.47 A$17.86

48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$3.54 A$5.07

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$3.55 A$5.09

-5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$2.95 A$4.23

-61.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

$79.9 A$114

-42.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$2.25 A$3.22

55.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$1.36 A$1.95

-53.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$24.81 A$35.54

-64.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.17 A$1.67

29.06%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$28.3K A$40.5K

3.49%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$26.7K A$38.3K

5.57%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$153 A$220

41.77%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$27.73 A$39.73

26.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$57.5 A$82.3

-62.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$56.1 A$80.3

3.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$15.63 A$22.40

3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$15.19 A$21.75

-25.54%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,416 A$3,461

-19.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$29.3K A$41.9K

-21.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$79.4 A$114

-28.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$50.2 A$71.9

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$122 A$174

-41.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$134 A$191

-38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,344 A$1,925

-32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.4K

$1,306 A$1,871

-53.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,196 A$3,146

15.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$2,059 A$2,949

-38.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$5,745 A$8,230

412.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$4,931 A$7,063

141.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,403 A$2,010

160.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.9

-30.85%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Moe: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Moe

$1.3K 52.7% 114% $695

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Moe

$332 13.4% 30.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Moe

$239 9.6% 12.9% $35

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Moe

$240 9.7% 30.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Moe

$173 7% 57.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Moe

$86 3.5% 7.1% $5.8

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Moe

$101 4.1% 75.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $1,344 in Moe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 160% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $76.0 in Moe. Groceries flip the comparison at $477 vs $332, with Moe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Moe

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

8,700

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Moe 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Moe

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 Moe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Moe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seoul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 160% 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 $1,344 in Moe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Moe pay roughly 44% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Seoul – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $76.0 in Moe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,794 in Seoul versus $2,477 in Moe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Seoul but tight or insufficient in Moe. The gap between the two cities makes Seoul 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 Moe 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 Seoul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Moe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.