Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and the Philippines

Name: Philippines
Address: PH

For one person, living is cheaper in the Philippines: $754 a month against $1,822 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
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
Learn more

Philippines Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 112.5% more expensive than the Philippines without rent, and 141.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 119.4% more expensive than the Philippines without rent, and 145.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$4.08 ₱256

123.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$21.43 ₱1,344

212.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$3.18 ₱199

133.33%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.22 ₱139

83.78%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.70 ₱43.83

128.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.37 ₱22.97

116.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.29 ₱81.2

182.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.00 ₱126

197.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.69 ₱106

21.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.18 ₱74.1

161.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.87 ₱54.3

383.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.96 ₱123

82.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$6.95 ₱436

158.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.29 ₱269

148.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$7.07 ₱444

273.97%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.90 ₱182

155.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.44 ₱90.2

145.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.52 ₱158

132.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.50 ₱94.4

324.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.19 ₱137

71.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$2.56 ₱161

-2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.33 ₱83.2

119.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.65 ₱40.91

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$2.83 ₱177

16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$6.20 ₱389

198.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.17 ₱73.5

94.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.73 ₱108

89.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.28 ₱17.68

307.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$12.71 ₱797

257.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$0.78 ₱48.96

346.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.23 ₱14.43

160.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$1.88 ₱118

362.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.16 ₱72.6

29.31%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

37.27%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

44.70%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$103 ₱6,459

102.83%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$14.13 ₱886

148.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$27.09 ₱1,699

-21.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$31.47 ₱1,974

82.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$5.95 ₱373

167.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$5.46 ₱342

107.51%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$142 ₱8,889

1242.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$5,663 ₱355.2K

297.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$43.92 ₱2,755

34.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$24.08 ₱1,510

33.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$67.1 ₱4,210

4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$60.4 ₱3,789

36.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$322 ₱20.2K

174.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$184 ₱11.5K

239.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$652 ₱40.9K

282.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$355 ₱22.2K

259.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$2,998 ₱188.0K

895.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,394 ₱87.4K

750.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$313 ₱19.6K

1065.69%

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 4, 2026

Last update for the Philippines: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Philippines

$184 24.6% 70.5% $440

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Philippines

$191 25.5% 60.2% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Philippines

$144 19.3% 45.6% $121

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Philippines

$84 11.2% 54.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Philippines

$88 11.8% 19.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Philippines

$42 5.7% 47% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Philippines

$16 2.1% 72.1% $41

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Philippines

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

109,035,343

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Seoul
Philippines

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

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