Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Seria

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Seria $567

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Seria $904

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Seria $1,242

Seoul costs about 217% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Seria is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.13 BND 4.00

181.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$27.07 BND 34.64

152.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.36 BND 6.86

40.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.88 BND 4.97

9.02%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.91 BND 1.16

79.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.54 BND 0.69

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.81 BND 2.32

11.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.43 BND 1.83

118.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.21 BND 1.55

257.02%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.38 BND 1.76

161.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.17 BND 7.90

188.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.41 BND 5.64

136.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.89 BND 13.93

136.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.20 BND 4.09

139.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$2.23 BND 2.85

51.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$2.98 BND 3.82

94.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$2.55 BND 3.27

151.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$1.68 BND 2.15

123.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$2.08 BND 2.66

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$3.74 BND 4.79

-24.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.76 BND 0.98

46.05%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$15.42 BND 19.73

-78.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$4.02 BND 5.14

-13.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$3.25 BND 4.15

-80.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$11.77 BND 15.06

-24.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.30 BND 0.38

403.33%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-32.78%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-22.10%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$61.8 BND 79.0

252.20%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$15.66 BND 20.03

124.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$64.1 BND 82.0

-66.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$27.52 BND 35.20

110.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.36 BND 6.86

111.01%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$216 BND 276

803.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$9,750 BND 12.5K

134.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$31.04 BND 39.71

83.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$27.71 BND 35.45

20.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$50.3 BND 64.4

41.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$46.16 BND 59.1

78.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$716 BND 917

409.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.88

5.15%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Seria

$203 35.9% 57.3% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Seria

$142 25% 48.3% $132

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Seria

$94 16.5% 49.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Seria

$70 12.3% 36.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Seria

$38 6.8% 52.6% $42

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 64.7% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 410% 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 $27.00 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $203 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

30,097

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, 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).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Seria 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 217% more than Seria, 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 $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $567 in Seria. That's a gap of about 217%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $216 in Seria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seria – 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 Seria. 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.