Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Pasig

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $733 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Pasig
Learn more

Pasig Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Pasig

🇵🇭 Philippines

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Pasig

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $733 in Pasig, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Pasig $733

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,222 in Pasig, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Pasig $1,222

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,711 in Pasig, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Pasig $1,711

Seoul costs about 145% more than Pasig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Pasig is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.87 ₱243

127.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$26.47 ₱1,667

158.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.73 ₱172

176.19%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.30 ₱145

83.91%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.69 ₱43.67

136.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.31 ₱19.23

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.22 ₱77.0

198.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.43 ₱153

153.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.74 ₱109

15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.12 ₱70.4

179.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.98 ₱61.6

340.82%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.07 ₱130

74.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.72 ₱360

211.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.50 ₱221

198.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.98 ₱503

223.31%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.28 ₱206

133.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.61 ₱101

109.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.85 ₱179

103.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.73 ₱109

270.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$2.24 ₱141

67.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.58 ₱162

-1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.19 ₱138

29.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.55 ₱34.39

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.00 ₱189

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.30 ₱586

98.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.33 ₱83.6

80.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.07 ₱130

62.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.50 ₱31.40

128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.73 ₱45.98

378.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.53

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.93 ₱122

359.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.20 ₱75.3

25.83%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

36.66%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

47.83%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$124 ₱7,814

75.25%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$17.72 ₱1,116

98.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.48 ₱1,542

-13.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$29.83 ₱1,878

94.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.28 ₱395

80.10%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$133 ₱8,366

1365.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,751 ₱551.0K

161.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$34.39 ₱2,165

65.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$27.36 ₱1,723

22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.6 ₱4,509

-0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.7 ₱3,572

45.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$340 ₱21.4K

164.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$151 ₱9,518

304.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$522 ₱32.9K

384.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$479 ₱30.1K

164.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,260 ₱205.2K

802.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,559 ₱161.1K

365.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$520 ₱32.7K

602.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pasig: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Pasig

$151 20.6% 75.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Pasig

$202 27.6% 57.6% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Pasig

$166 22.7% 39.3% $108

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Pasig

$82 11.2% 55.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Pasig

$86 11.7% 22.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Pasig

$42 5.8% 47.5% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Pasig

$3.9 * 0.5% 93.2% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $340 in Pasig. 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 602% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $26.00 in Pasig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $202 – making Pasig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Pasig

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

803,159

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Pasig 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Pasig

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 Pasig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,100 in Pasig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $733 in Pasig. That's a gap of about 145%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $133 in Pasig. 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 Pasig, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Pasig it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pasig – 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 Pasig. 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.