Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Newcastle upon Tyne

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,244 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle upon Tyne
Learn more

Newcastle upon Tyne Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Newcastle upon Tyne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Newcastle upon Tyne

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 Newcastle upon Tyne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,244 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Newcastle upon Tyne $2,244

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,335 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Newcastle upon Tyne $3,335

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $4,427 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Newcastle upon Tyne $4,427

Seoul is about 20% cheaper than Newcastle upon Tyne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Newcastle upon Tyne sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Newcastle upon Tyne by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$19.50 £14.63

-54.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$98.6 £74.0

-30.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.61 £7.96

-28.93%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$4.89 £3.67

-13.50%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$3.04 £2.28

-46.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$2.31 £1.73

-67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$6.65 £4.99

-45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$6.55 £4.91

-6.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.38 £1.03

45.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.91 £1.44

63.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$2.18 £1.64

98.17%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$3.66 £2.75

-1.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.52 £7.14

87.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$9.02 £6.77

15.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$14.25 £10.69

81.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.82 £2.11

171.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.82 £1.36

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.75 £2.06

111.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.59 £2.70

78.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.71 £1.28

119.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.40 £1.05

81.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.15 £0.86

146.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.51 £1.13

-26.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$20.47 £15.36

-83.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$10.58 £7.94

74.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$3.06 £2.30

-21.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.58 £2.69

-5.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$3.35 £2.51

-65.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$86.1 £64.6

-46.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$6.69 £5.02

-47.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.58 £1.19

-60.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$27.60 £20.71

-67.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$2.08 £1.56

-27.40%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$37.8K £28.4K

-22.56%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$41.1K £30.8K

-31.38%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$242 £182

-10.17%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$16.78 £12.59

109.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$42.04 £31.54

-49.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$36.74 £27.56

58.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$19.21 £14.41

-16.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$10.38 £7.79

8.96%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$1,240 £930

57.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$17.3K £13.0K

32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$91.3 £68.5

-37.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$47.43 £35.58

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$108 £81.2

-33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$94.2 £70.7

-12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,334 £1,001

-32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,003 £752

-38.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,165 £1,624

16.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,584 £1,189

-20.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$5,188 £3,892

467.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,565 £2,675

233.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$3,403 £2,553

7.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.15

-20.78%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Newcastle upon Tyne: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$1K 44.7% 63.9% $391

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$301 13.4% 36.9% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$301 13.4% 9.9% $27

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$314 14% 70.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$154 6.8% 39.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$58 2.6% 28.7% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Newcastle upon Tyne

$114 5.1% 99% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $1,334 in Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 7% higher in Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $99.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $301 in Newcastle upon Tyne – so Newcastle upon Tyne wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

08:39 8:39 AM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

809,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Newcastle upon Tyne 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Newcastle upon Tyne

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 Newcastle upon Tyne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $2,244 in Newcastle upon Tyne – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $3,366 in Newcastle upon Tyne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 87% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $1,240 in Newcastle upon Tyne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Newcastle upon Tyne at $2,244. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newcastle upon Tyne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Newcastle upon Tyne has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,794 in Seoul to $2,244 in Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newcastle upon Tyne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.