Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Negros

For one person, living is cheaper in Negros: $739 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Negros
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Negros Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Negros

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Negros

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $739 in Negros, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Negros $739

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,121 in Negros, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Negros $1,121

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,503 in Negros, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Negros $1,503

Seoul costs about 144% more than Negros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Negros is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.94 ₱185

209.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$11.99 ₱755

456.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$2.77 ₱175

170.40%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$1.40 ₱88.2

199.29%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.67 ₱41.96

131.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.42 ₱26.27

88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.21 ₱76.1

200.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.96 ₱123

213.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.93 ₱121

9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.11 ₱69.7

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.96 ₱60.6

338.54%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.96 ₱123

80.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$9.83 ₱619

83.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$4.51 ₱284

129.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$7.35 ₱463

260.14%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$3.32 ₱209

138.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.41 ₱88.6

143.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.41 ₱152

134.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.53 ₱96.4

318.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$2.42 ₱152

53.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.89 ₱119

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.14 ₱71.7

151.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.64 ₱40.01

81.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.91 ₱183

15.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$6.11 ₱385

206.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.23 ₱77.4

85.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.74 ₱110

90.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.26 ₱16.37

334.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$11.32 ₱713

312.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.79 ₱49.77

345.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.23 ₱14.53

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$1.89 ₱119

363.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.33 ₱83.9

9.02%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

40.56%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

46.01%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$120 ₱7,531

76.27%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$14.43 ₱908

145.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$27.86 ₱1,754

-26.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$32.58 ₱2,051

77.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$4.62 ₱291

250.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.44 ₱342

109.01%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$130 ₱8,211

1408.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$8,096 ₱509.8K

181.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$32.81 ₱2,066

75.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$19.16 ₱1,206

72.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$76.9 ₱4,843

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$57.8 ₱3,638

45.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$269 ₱17.0K

225.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$169 ₱10.6K

269.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$511 ₱32.2K

392.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$358 ₱22.5K

259.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$2,453 ₱154.4K

1138.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$992 ₱62.5K

1096.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$241 ₱15.2K

1392.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-41.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Negros: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Negros

$169 22.9% 72.9% $455

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Negros

$204 27.5% 57.6% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Negros

$162 21.9% 39.3% $105

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Negros

$63 8.5% 66.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Negros

$84 11.4% 23.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Negros

$43 5.9% 46% $37

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Negros

$14 1.9% 75.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $269 in Negros. 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 1392% 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 $12.00 in Negros. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $204 – making Negros the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Negros

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,414,131

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Negros 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Negros

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 Negros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,109 in Negros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Negros, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 313% less in Negros. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $130 in Negros. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Negros, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Negros it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Negros – 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 Negros. 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.