Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Pagadian

For one person, living is cheaper in Pagadian: $717 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pagadian
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Pagadian Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Pagadian

🇵🇭 Philippines

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Pagadian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $717 in Pagadian.

Seoul $1,794
Pagadian $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,100 in Pagadian.

Seoul $2,863
Pagadian $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,483 in Pagadian.

Seoul $3,931
Pagadian $1,483

Living in Seoul is roughly 150% more expensive than in Pagadian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Pagadian is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.81 ₱240

130.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.55 ₱1,042

313.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.77 ₱174

172.20%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.93 ₱121

119.17%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.87 ₱54.7

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.23 ₱14.39

221.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.42 ₱89.3

156.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.99 ₱125

209.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.70 ₱107

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.05 ₱65.8

198.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.93 ₱58.5

364.52%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.63 ₱102

121.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$4.93 ₱310

261.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.10 ₱258

154.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.05 ₱381

326.45%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.60 ₱163

194.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.44 ₱90.8

134.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.53 ₱159

129.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.00 ₱62.8

541.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.77 ₱111

111.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.96 ₱123

29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.90 ₱56.7

215.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.64 ₱40.28

73.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.12 ₱197

7.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.03 ₱506

130.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.02 ₱64.2

135.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.71 ₱107

97.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.26 ₱16.36

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$10.91 ₱687

322.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.73 ₱46.09

378.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.71

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.89 ₱119

368.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.06 ₱66.9

42.45%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

54.14%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.9K ₱1.1M

57.95%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$122 ₱7,687

78.15%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$15.52 ₱977

126.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.08 ₱1,516

-11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$35.90 ₱2,260

61.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.29 ₱270

275.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.59 ₱352

102.33%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$129 ₱8,114

1411.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$6,823 ₱429.6K

235.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$34.11 ₱2,148

67.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$17.27 ₱1,088

93.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$74.9 ₱4,719

-4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.0 ₱3,527

47.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$263 ₱16.5K

242.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$161 ₱10.2K

278.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$509 ₱32.0K

396.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$358 ₱22.5K

253.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,576 ₱162.2K

1042.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$989 ₱62.2K

1103.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.79

-39.91%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pagadian: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Pagadian

$161 22.5% 73.6% $450

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Pagadian

$173 24.1% 63.7% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Pagadian

$162 22.6% 41% $112

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Pagadian

$77 10.8% 57.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Pagadian

$82 11.5% 25.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Pagadian

$47 6.6% 41.6% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Pagadian

$14 1.9% 75.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $263 in Pagadian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $17.00 in Pagadian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $173 per month, with Pagadian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Pagadian

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

199,060

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

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Between locations

Seoul Pagadian 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Pagadian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Pagadian differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $717 including rent). Pagadian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $1,075 in Pagadian to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $263 in Pagadian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pagadian – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $717 in Pagadian – a 150% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $717 in Pagadian versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pagadian but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Pagadian 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 Pagadian 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 Pagadian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.