Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,822 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Port Vila

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $3,157 in Port Vila, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Port Vila $3,157

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $4,290 in Port Vila, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Port Vila $4,290

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $5,424 in Port Vila, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Port Vila $5,424

Seoul is about 42% cheaper than Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Seoul and Port Vila sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Port Vila by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$12.64 VUV 1,480

-28.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$55.9 VUV 6,540

19.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$14.29 VUV 1,673

-48.08%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$4.06 VUV 475

0.49%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$2.32 VUV 271

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$2.33 VUV 273

-65.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$4.93 VUV 577

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$7.24 VUV 847

-17.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$2.86 VUV 335

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.90 VUV 223

62.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$3.83 VUV 448

9.92%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$6.06 VUV 710

-41.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$17.62 VUV 2,063

1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$16.51 VUV 1,933

-35.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$13.76 VUV 1,611

92.15%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$6.98 VUV 817

6.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.12 VUV 249

66.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$3.82 VUV 447

53.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$9.36 VUV 1,096

-31.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$8.96 VUV 1,049

-58.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$3.50 VUV 410

-28.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$2.60 VUV 304

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$1.16 VUV 135

-0.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$9.16 VUV 1,073

-64.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.63 VUV 1,479

46.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$2.50 VUV 292

-8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$2.73 VUV 319

20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$1.24 VUV 145

-8.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$68.8 VUV 8,054

-33.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.48 VUV 291

40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.87 VUV 102

-31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$5.22 VUV 611

66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.82 VUV 213

-17.58%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

23.63%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

-25.92%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$640 VUV 74.9K

-67.34%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$22.97 VUV 2,689

52.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$359 VUV 42.0K

-94.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$67.7 VUV 7,931

-15.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$17.18 VUV 2,011

-7.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$625 VUV 73.2K

204.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

221.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$41.44 VUV 4,852

42.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$67.4 VUV 7,894

-52.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

-17.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$103 VUV 12.0K

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

-44.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

-44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

-26.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

-31.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

388.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

436.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$667 VUV 78.1K

447.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.18

-33.98%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5% 79.2% $494

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Port Vila

$475 15.1% 0.9% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Port Vila

$1K 32.5% 285% $756

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Port Vila

$250 8% 36.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Port Vila

$134 4.3% 21.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 15.3% $12

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 42.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $1,581 in Port Vila. 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 447% 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $56.0 in Port Vila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $475 – making Port Vila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, 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 = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Port Vila 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Port Vila

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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Vila costs about 73% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $4,735 in Port Vila. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,822 in Seoul and $3,157 in Port Vila. That's a gap of about 73%.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,822, than in Port Vila at $3,157. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.