Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $817 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
Learn more

Panglao Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Panglao

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $817 in Panglao, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Panglao $817

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,137 in Panglao, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Panglao $1,137

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,456 in Panglao, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Panglao $1,456

Seoul costs about 120% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Panglao is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.08 ₱194

185.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$23.75 ₱1,495

187.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.94 ₱248

91.37%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.27 ₱143

86.34%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.60 ₱101

1.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.53 ₱33.19

39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.55 ₱97.6

134.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.90 ₱119

223.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.59 ₱100

26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.13 ₱70.9

176.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.94 ₱59.2

359.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.79 ₱113

101.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$8.58 ₱540

107.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.61 ₱290

126.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.62 ₱480

238.58%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.92 ₱121

298.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.39 ₱87.5

143.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.87 ₱118

210.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.53 ₱96.1

318.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.41 ₱152

55.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.96 ₱123

29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.14 ₱71.8

149.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.47 ₱29.49

136.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.91 ₱183

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$5.70 ₱359

224.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.79 ₱49.65

203.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.56 ₱97.9

116.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.23 ₱14.60

395.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$11.32 ₱713

307.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.73 ₱46.14

378.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.53

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.94 ₱122

356.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.90 ₱57.0

67.78%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

38.02%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

46.84%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$58.9 ₱3,711

269.05%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$6.75 ₱425

420.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.52 ₱1,544

-13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$20.96 ₱1,320

177.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.71 ₱297

241.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.92 ₱247

188.52%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$135 ₱8,504

1341.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,988 ₱502.9K

186.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$32.48 ₱2,045

75.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.59 ₱1,233

70.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$66.4 ₱4,183

7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$47.63 ₱2,999

73.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$280 ₱17.7K

221.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$343 ₱21.6K

78.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$567 ₱35.7K

345.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$390 ₱24.6K

224.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$947 ₱59.6K

3006.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,014 ₱63.8K

1074.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.2

-43.33%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panglao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Panglao

$343 42% 43.9% $269

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Panglao

$183 22.3% 61.7% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Panglao

$90 11% 67.1% $184

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Panglao

$84 10.3% 54.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Panglao

$75 9.2% 32% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Panglao

$29 3.5% 64.3% $52

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Panglao

$14 1.7% 75.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $280 in Panglao. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $24.00 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $183 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

39,839

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Panglao 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 120% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,226 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 161% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $24.00 in Panglao. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panglao, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Panglao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panglao – 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 Panglao. 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.