Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Seongnam

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,418 in Seongnam, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Seongnam $1,418

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,361 in Seongnam, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Seongnam $2,361

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,305 in Seongnam, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Seongnam $3,305

Seoul costs about 30% more than Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Seongnam sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Seongnam by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$6.95 ₩9,282

30.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.2K

$41.62 ₩55.6K

64.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,812

$6.83 ₩9,123

7.61%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,498

$4.03 ₩5,378

2.23%

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

$1.64 ₩2,195

$1.56 ₩2,079

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,077

$0.76 ₩1,010

6.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,952

$3.53 ₩4,715

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,188

$3.81 ₩5,085

60.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,726

$2.31 ₩3,085

-11.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,286

$3.18 ₩4,249

0.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,858

$3.71 ₩4,950

18.33%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,795

$3.67 ₩4,895

-2.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$9.13 ₩12.2K

99.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$8.04 ₩10.7K

30.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$20.41 ₩27.2K

31.75%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.56 ₩10.1K

3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,712

$3.56 ₩4,752

-0.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,616

$5.65 ₩7,541

0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,249

$6.81 ₩9,098

-9.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,024

$3.76 ₩5,014

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,354

$2.62 ₩3,502

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,758

$2.93 ₩3,916

-3.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,482

$1.35 ₩1,797

-17.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,406

$3.48 ₩4,643

-5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,229

$2.10 ₩2,801

15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,483

$1.93 ₩2,574

74.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,591

$1.09 ₩1,453

9.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,742

$3.65 ₩4,870

-2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$0.67 ₩893

-10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$8.76 ₩11.7K

3.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,920

$1.39 ₩1,857

3.60%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

0.96%

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

$28.9K ₩38.6M

$28.1K ₩37.5M

2.97%

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

$213 ₩283.7K

$215 ₩286.9K

-1.11%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$36.76 ₩49.1K

-2.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.6K

$21.23 ₩28.4K

0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.3K

$55.1 ₩73.5K

11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

$14.12 ₩18.9K

16.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$11.38 ₩15.2K

0.35%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$379 ₩506.2K

413.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

$18.1K ₩24.1M

25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.8K

$57.7 ₩77.0K

3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.7K

$32.54 ₩43.4K

5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.1K

$71.4 ₩95.3K

-7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.3K

$84.4 ₩112.7K

-2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$488 ₩651.2K

89.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩880.0K

$360 ₩481.0K

82.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,158 ₩1.5M

160.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,046 ₩1.4M

37.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.3M

$7,247 ₩9.7M

274.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$5,589 ₩7.5M

102.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 45.3% $299

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Seongnam

$426 30% 11.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 1.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 13.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 1.7% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 7.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 80.2% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $488 in Seongnam. 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 in Seoul versus $42 in Seongnam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $426 – making Seongnam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

967,510

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Seoul, $1,418 in Seongnam – Seongnam comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,127 in Seongnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,418 in Seongnam. That makes Seongnam about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $379 in Seongnam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Seongnam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.