Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $705 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Puerto Princesa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $705 in Puerto Princesa.

Seoul $1,794
Puerto Princesa $705

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,050 in Puerto Princesa.

Seoul $2,863
Puerto Princesa $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,396 in Puerto Princesa.

Seoul $3,931
Puerto Princesa $1,396

Living in Seoul is roughly 155% more expensive than in Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Puerto Princesa is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.28 ₱269

105.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.84 ₱1,061

306.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.59 ₱289

64.27%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.34 ₱147

80.77%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.88 ₱55.2

85.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.52 ₱32.91

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.26 ₱79.5

188.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.37 ₱149

159.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.75 ₱110

14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.02 ₱64.4

206.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.82 ₱51.9

426.83%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.75 ₱110

106.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.52 ₱347

223.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$5.43 ₱342

92.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$6.59 ₱415

291.50%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.37 ₱149

223.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$0.85 ₱53.3

297.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.40 ₱151

142.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.14 ₱71.6

462.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.53 ₱96.4

145.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.35 ₱84.8

88.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.94 ₱59.4

202.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.70 ₱43.92

58.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.86 ₱180

17.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$7.28 ₱458

153.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.06 ₱66.6

126.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.35 ₱84.8

149.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.25 ₱15.71

356.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$11.06 ₱697

316.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.74 ₱46.36

371.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.21 ₱13.17

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.95 ₱123

354.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.01 ₱63.7

49.50%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$17.1K ₱1.1M

71.26%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

47.74%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$62.2 ₱3,915

249.77%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$10.94 ₱689

221.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$24.60 ₱1,549

-13.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$32.60 ₱2,052

78.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.75 ₱299

238.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.05 ₱318

123.96%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$133 ₱8,357

1367.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,060 ₱507.5K

183.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$33.45 ₱2,106

70.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.50 ₱1,228

71.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.1 ₱4,478

0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$56.2 ₱3,541

46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$283 ₱17.8K

218.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$201 ₱12.7K

204.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$519 ₱32.7K

386.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$313 ₱19.7K

304.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,404 ₱151.4K

1123.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,008 ₱63.4K

1081.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$223 ₱14.1K

1535.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

8.12

-49.75%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Puerto Princesa

$201 28.5% 67.1% $411

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Puerto Princesa

$176 24.9% 63.2% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Puerto Princesa

$98 13.9% 64.3% $176

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Puerto Princesa

$93 13.2% 49.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Puerto Princesa

$81 11.5% 26.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Puerto Princesa

$43 6.1% 47.1% $38

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Puerto Princesa

$14 2% 75.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $283 in Puerto Princesa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1535% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $17.00 in Puerto Princesa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $176 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

307,079

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Puerto Princesa 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Puerto Princesa

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 Puerto Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Princesa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 155% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1535% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $283 in Puerto Princesa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $705 in Puerto Princesa – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Puerto Princesa runs roughly 317% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $705 in Puerto Princesa versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Princesa but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Princesa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puerto Princesa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seoul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.