Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Sacheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sacheon: $1,433 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sacheon
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Sacheon Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Sacheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Sacheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $1,433 in Sacheon.

Seoul $1,848
Sacheon $1,433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $2,223 in Sacheon.

Seoul $2,986
Sacheon $2,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $3,013 in Sacheon.

Seoul $4,125
Sacheon $3,013

Living in Seoul is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sacheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Sacheon 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$7.70 ₩10.3K

17.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$35.45 ₩47.6K

92.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$6.52 ₩8,751

12.73%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$3.77 ₩5,057

9.28%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$1.54 ₩2,062

6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.70 ₩934

15.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$3.51 ₩4,719

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$4.39 ₩5,900

39.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$2.22 ₩2,979

-8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$3.22 ₩4,322

-0.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$2.80 ₩3,765

56.79%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$2.82 ₩3,791

27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$11.03 ₩14.8K

65.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$7.98 ₩10.7K

31.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$20.97 ₩28.2K

28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.52 ₩10.1K

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$3.42 ₩4,595

3.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$6.61 ₩8,874

-13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$6.02 ₩8,088

2.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$3.68 ₩4,945

2.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$2.57 ₩3,454

-2.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$2.78 ₩3,736

1.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$1.34 ₩1,798

-17.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.47 ₩4,662

-4.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$19.05 ₩25.6K

-2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.29 ₩3,080

5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$3.53 ₩4,734

-4.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$1.10 ₩1,472

8.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$3.34 ₩4,482

6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.61 ₩818

-1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$8.83 ₩11.9K

2.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.34 ₩1,802

7.46%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$29.3K ₩39.3M

3.47%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$33.9K ₩45.5M

-14.66%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$209 ₩280.5K

1.73%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$36.36 ₩48.8K

-1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$21.18 ₩28.4K

0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$53.7 ₩72.1K

14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$14.37 ₩19.3K

14.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.38 ₩15.3K

0.35%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$381 ₩511.8K

411.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$21.8K ₩29.3M

4.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$63.2 ₩84.8K

-5.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$61.6 ₩82.7K

-44.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$73.6 ₩98.9K

-10.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$98.2 ₩131.9K

-16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$490 ₩658.1K

88.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$356 ₩478.5K

84.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,164 ₩1.6M

158.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$736 ₩987.9K

95.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$7,276 ₩9.8M

273.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$5,566 ₩7.5M

102.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,512 ₩2.0M

136.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.1

-0.49%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sacheon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Sacheon

$356 24.9% 45.9% $303

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Sacheon

$427 29.8% 11.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Sacheon

$266 18.6% 1.2% $3.3

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Sacheon

$162 11.3% 12.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Sacheon

$133 9.3% 22.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Sacheon

$76 5.3% 9.5% $8

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Sacheon

$11 * 0.8% 81.3% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $490 in Sacheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $35 in Sacheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $427 per month, with Sacheon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Sacheon

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

117,500

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Sacheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,433 in Sacheon, so Sacheon is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Seoul is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $490 in Sacheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $1,433 in Sacheon – Sacheon is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Sacheon 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 Sacheon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sacheon wins on affordability, Seoul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.