Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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 San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in San Pablo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $634 in San Pablo.

Seoul $1,794
San Pablo $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $917 in San Pablo.

Seoul $2,863
San Pablo $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,200 in San Pablo.

Seoul $3,931
San Pablo $1,200

Living in Seoul is roughly 183% more expensive than in San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, San Pablo is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.90 ₱245

125.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.47 ₱1,037

315.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$2.81 ₱177

168.33%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$1.83 ₱115

131.15%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.38 ₱24.14

328.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.18 ₱11.26

311.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.03 ₱64.7

253.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.63 ₱103

277.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.67 ₱105

20.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.10 ₱69.2

184.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.94 ₱59.1

359.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.08 ₱131

73.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$5.14 ₱324

246.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.41 ₱215

206.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$7.73 ₱487

233.76%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.32 ₱146

230.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.41 ₱88.8

139.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.61 ₱101

260.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.04 ₱65.3

516.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.61 ₱101

132.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$1.78 ₱112

42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.61 ₱38.28

365.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.52 ₱32.95

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.84 ₱179

17.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$6.49 ₱409

184.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.95 ₱60.0

152.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.02 ₱127

66.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.23 ₱14.37

395.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.81 ₱51.0

330.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ₱15.79

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$1.87 ₱118

373.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.15 ₱72.5

31.30%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

35.39%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

46.28%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$143 ₱9,016

51.90%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$11.84 ₱746

196.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$23.37 ₱1,471

-8.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.13 ₱323

120.47%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$132 ₱8,290

1379.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.9K ₱683.6K

110.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$29.42 ₱1,852

93.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$19.58 ₱1,232

70.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.5 ₱4,502

-0.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$55.6 ₱3,500

48.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$142 ₱8,963

532.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$125 ₱7,875

389.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$206 ₱13.0K

1128.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$188 ₱11.8K

573.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$956 ₱60.2K

2978.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$811 ₱51.1K

1367.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$292 ₱18.4K

1152.12%

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 Pablo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

San Pablo

$125 19.7% 79.6% $487

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

San Pablo

$166 26.2% 65.2% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

San Pablo

$178 28.1% 34.9% $96

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

San Pablo

$72 11.4% 60.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

San Pablo

$79 12.5% 28% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6% 87.3% $70

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5% 94.8% $54

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 $901 in Seoul and $142 in San Pablo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 1152% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $16.00 in San Pablo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $166 per month, with San Pablo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

266,068

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Seoul San Pablo 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
San Pablo

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 Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and San Pablo differ by about 183% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $634 including rent). San Pablo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1152% higher in Seoul, 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: $901 in Seoul versus $142 in San Pablo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $132 in San Pablo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Pablo – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $634 in San Pablo versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Pablo but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes San Pablo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and San Pablo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Pablo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.