Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $855 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Quezon City

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $855 in Quezon City, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Quezon City $855

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,385 in Quezon City, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Quezon City $1,385

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,916 in Quezon City, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Quezon City $1,916

Seoul costs about 113% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Quezon City is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$4.45 ₱279

104.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$18.78 ₱1,178

256.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$2.86 ₱179

159.44%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.77 ₱174

47.29%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.69 ₱43.17

131.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.29 ₱18.35

175.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.47 ₱92.5

148.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.72 ₱171

118.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.71 ₱107

19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.15 ₱72.1

167.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.85 ₱53.0

395.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.76 ₱110

102.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$6.83 ₱428

162.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.29 ₱269

148.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$7.29 ₱457

262.69%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.84 ₱241

93.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.42 ₱88.9

148.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$3.57 ₱224

64.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.14 ₱71.3

458.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.40 ₱150

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$3.45 ₱217

-27.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.38 ₱86.3

111.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.97 ₱61.0

18.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$2.84 ₱178

15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$7.62 ₱478

142.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.30 ₱81.4

75.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.76 ₱110

86.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.40 ₱24.91

185.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$18.79 ₱1,179

141.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$0.76 ₱47.86

357.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.21 ₱13.15

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$2.47 ₱155

252.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.19 ₱74.4

26.05%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

38.44%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

49.14%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$165 ₱10.3K

26.96%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$14.28 ₱896

146.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$24.21 ₱1,518

-12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$37.71 ₱2,365

52.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$3.41 ₱214

365.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$7.22 ₱453

56.93%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$73.1 ₱4,583

2503.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$2,472 ₱155.1K

810.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$35.88 ₱2,250

64.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$22.30 ₱1,398

44.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$79.5 ₱4,989

-11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$75.4 ₱4,729

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$314 ₱19.7K

181.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$190 ₱11.9K

227.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$746 ₱46.8K

234.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$520 ₱32.6K

145.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$2,326 ₱145.9K

1182.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,421 ₱89.1K

733.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$440 ₱27.6K

728.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-41.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Quezon City

$190 22% 69.5% $433

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Quezon City

$207 23.9% 56.8% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Quezon City

$203 23.5% 23.4% $62

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Quezon City

$94 10.9% 48.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Quezon City

$96 11.1% 12.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Quezon City

$52 6% 34.8% $28

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Quezon City

$22 2.6% 60.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $314 in Quezon City. 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 728% 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $19.00 in Quezon City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $207 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,936,116

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

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

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Quezon City 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Quezon City

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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 113% more than Quezon City, 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 $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,282 in Quezon City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $73.1 in Quezon City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quezon City costs $855 versus $1,822 in Seoul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Quezon City. 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.