Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Sale

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,445 in Sale, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Sale $2,445

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,589 in Sale, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Sale $3,589

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $4,732 in Sale, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Sale $4,732

Seoul is about 27% cheaper than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Sale sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Sale by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$15.16 A$21.72

-41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$82.4 A$118

-17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$11.48 A$16.45

-34.32%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,672

$3.80 A$5.44

11.32%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$3.10 A$4.44

-47.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$2.10 A$3.02

-64.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$8.47 A$12.13

-57.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$7.86 A$11.25

-21.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$1.60 A$2.29

25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$2.49 A$3.56

25.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$2.27 A$3.26

90.31%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$5.54 A$7.94

-34.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$9.18 A$13.15

94.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$8.97 A$12.85

16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$15.39 A$22.05

67.64%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$3.60 A$5.15

112.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$2.89 A$4.15

16.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,789

$2.99 A$4.28

94.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,592

$4.20 A$6.02

52.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,025

$2.75 A$3.94

36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,404

$2.29 A$3.28

10.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$2.12 A$3.04

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$1.36 A$1.95

-18.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$44.03 A$63.1

-92.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$15.02 A$21.52

23.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$4.58 A$6.56

-47.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$5.23 A$7.49

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$2.91 A$4.17

-60.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

$84.6 A$121

-45.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$3.92 A$5.62

-10.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$1.49 A$2.13

-57.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$45.41 A$65.1

-80.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.15 A$1.64

31.30%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$26.1K A$37.4K

12.05%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$28.3K A$40.5K

-0.17%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$210 A$301

3.64%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$31.51 A$45.14

11.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$60.5 A$86.7

-64.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$62.9 A$90.1

-7.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$16.87 A$24.17

-4.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$15.86 A$22.72

-28.69%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$2,317 A$3,319

-15.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$21.8K A$31.2K

5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$73.7 A$106

-22.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$50.6 A$72.4

-33.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$102 A$147

-30.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$107 A$153

-22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,502 A$2,151

-40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.4K

$1,150 A$1,648

-46.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$2,440 A$3,496

3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,855 A$2,657

-31.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$6,605 A$9,462

345.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$4,309 A$6,173

176.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.84

-30.14%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Sale

$1.2K 47.1% 88% $538

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Sale

$360 14.7% 24.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Sale

$302 12.4% 10.2% $28

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Sale

$280 11.5% 52.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Sale

$150 6.1% 36.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Sale

$95 3.9% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Sale

$108 4.4% 87.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $1,502 in Sale. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $82.0 in Sale. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $360 in Sale – so Sale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇦🇺 Sale

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

2 h ahead of Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

13,673

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Sale 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $2,445 in Sale – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $3,667 in Sale. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Sale – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $82.0 in Sale. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Sale at $2,445. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale 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, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.