Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and San Jose del Monte

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $713 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in San Jose del Monte

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 San Jose del Monte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $713 in San Jose del Monte, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
San Jose del Monte $713

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,072 in San Jose del Monte, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
San Jose del Monte $1,072

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,432 in San Jose del Monte, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
San Jose del Monte $1,432

Seoul costs about 152% more than San Jose del Monte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while San Jose del Monte is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$4.09 ₱257

115.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.69 ₱1,051

309.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.87 ₱181

162.72%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.78 ₱112

137.64%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.57 ₱35.83

185.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.33 ₱20.79

124.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.98 ₱61.6

271.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.55 ₱97.8

296.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.66 ₱105

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.11 ₱69.8

181.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.03 ₱64.9

319.42%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.02 ₱127

78.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.18 ₱326

244.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.35 ₱211

211.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.07 ₱445

264.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.27 ₱143

237.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.53 ₱96.6

120.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.35 ₱148

147.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.03 ₱64.9

522.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.68 ₱106

123.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.73 ₱109

46.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.61 ₱38.45

365.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.52 ₱32.85

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.89 ₱182

15.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$8.89 ₱560

107.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.97 ₱61.2

147.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.08 ₱131

62.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.24 ₱15.09

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$11.59 ₱730

297.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.80 ₱50.2

336.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ₱14.51

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.95 ₱123

354.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.19 ₱75.1

26.89%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

38.98%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

47.14%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$124 ₱7,822

75.08%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$15.79 ₱994

122.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$23.17 ₱1,459

-8.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$35.10 ₱2,210

65.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$4.42 ₱278

264.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.25 ₱331

115.43%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$134 ₱8,428

1354.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,925 ₱561.9K

156.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$29.38 ₱1,850

94.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.87 ₱1,251

68.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.0 ₱4,472

0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$55.0 ₱3,463

50.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$257 ₱16.2K

250.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$164 ₱10.3K

273.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$506 ₱31.9K

398.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$318 ₱20.0K

297.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,707 ₱170.4K

986.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$942 ₱59.3K

1164.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.75

-39.56%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

San Jose del Monte

$164 23% 73.2% $448

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

San Jose del Monte

$173 24.2% 63.8% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

San Jose del Monte

$163 22.9% 40.4% $111

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

San Jose del Monte

$74 10.4% 59.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

San Jose del Monte

$79 11.1% 28.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.4% 43.5% $35

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

San Jose del Monte

$15 2% 74.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $257 in San Jose del Monte. 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 $17.00 in San Jose del Monte. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $173 – making San Jose del Monte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

651,813

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Seoul San Jose del Monte 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
San Jose del Monte

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 San Jose del Monte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 152% more than San Jose del Monte, 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 $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,069 in San Jose del Monte. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 176% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $17.00 in San Jose del Monte. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Jose del Monte, where all-in costs run around $713, than in Seoul at $1,794. In San Jose del Monte it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose del Monte – 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 San Jose del Monte. 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.