Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $647 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Samarinda

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $647 in Samarinda, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Samarinda $647

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,021 in Samarinda, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Samarinda $1,021

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,395 in Samarinda, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Samarinda $1,395

Seoul costs about 177% more than Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Samarinda is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

417.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

399.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

125.07%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

176.47%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.44 Rp 7,903

270.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.25 Rp 4,499

196.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

78.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

87.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

277.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

508.45%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

157.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

147.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

189.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

156.97%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

49.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

204.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

433.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

336.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

184.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

44.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

278.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.51 Rp 9,097

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

61.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

33.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.30 Rp 5,403

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.50 Rp 8,935

598.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.34 Rp 6,183

85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

231.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

86.42%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

9.22%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

-9.19%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

223.50%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

640.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

194.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

80.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

311.27%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

2066.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

182.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

-7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

11.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$195 Rp 3.5M

360.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$148 Rp 2.7M

314.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$491 Rp 8.8M

414.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$338 Rp 6.1M

274.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

2557.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$730 Rp 13.1M

1530.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$336 Rp 6.0M

986.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

9.46

-56.87%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Samarinda

$148 22.8% 75.9% $464

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Samarinda

$213 32.9% 55.3% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Samarinda

$91 14% 66.9% $183

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Samarinda

$63 9.7% 65.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Samarinda

$104 16.1% 5.4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Samarinda

$25 3.9% 68.8% $55

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5% 94.1% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $195 in Samarinda. 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 986% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $14.00 in Samarinda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $213 – making Samarinda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

726,223

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Samarinda 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $647 in Samarinda – roughly 177% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $970 in Samarinda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $14.00 in Samarinda. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 124% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samarinda, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Samarinda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – 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 Samarinda. 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.