Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Songdo-dong: $1,449 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
Learn more

Songdo-dong Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,449 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Songdo-dong $1,449

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,306 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Songdo-dong $2,306

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,163 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Songdo-dong $3,163

Seoul costs about 28% more than Songdo-dong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Songdo-dong sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Songdo-dong by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$5.94 ₩7,971

52.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$35.30 ₩47.4K

93.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$6.86 ₩9,212

7.14%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$3.73 ₩5,009

10.46%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$1.61 ₩2,157

1.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.60 ₩801

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$3.01 ₩4,035

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$4.52 ₩6,066

35.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$2.19 ₩2,946

-6.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$3.06 ₩4,108

4.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$2.28 ₩3,060

92.54%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$3.26 ₩4,384

10.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$16.03 ₩21.5K

13.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$7.80 ₩10.5K

34.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$11.39 ₩15.3K

136.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.58 ₩10.2K

3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$3.21 ₩4,308

9.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$7.53 ₩10.1K

-24.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$7.13 ₩9,576

-13.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$3.48 ₩4,666

8.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$2.47 ₩3,322

1.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$2.10 ₩2,824

34.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$1.48 ₩1,989

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.34 ₩4,491

-1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.77 ₩25.2K

-0.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.28 ₩3,063

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$3.75 ₩5,037

-5.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.61 ₩824

-1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.43 ₩1,918

0.70%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$29.3K ₩39.3M

3.40%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$35.9K ₩48.2M

-19.45%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$215 ₩288.5K

-1.10%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$44.58 ₩59.9K

-19.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$20.85 ₩28.0K

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.50 ₩15.4K

-0.70%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$375 ₩503.5K

419.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$18.1K ₩24.3M

26.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$65.5 ₩87.9K

-8.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$63.7 ₩85.6K

-46.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$74.8 ₩100.4K

-11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$101 ₩135.1K

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$447 ₩599.6K

47.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,936 ₩2.6M

55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,067 ₩1.4M

34.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$3,493 ₩4.7M

2.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.1

-0.49%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Songdo-dong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Songdo-dong

$447 30.8% 32.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Songdo-dong

$409 * 28.3% 15.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Songdo-dong

$280 19.4% 3.9% $11

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Songdo-dong

$146 10.1% 21% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.5% 25.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Songdo-dong

$23 * 1.6% 72.8% $61

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Songdo-dong

$6.8 * 0.5% 88.1% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $35 in Songdo-dong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $409 – making Songdo-dong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Songdo-dong 38 km

From you

Seoul
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 28% more than Songdo-dong, 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 $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,173 in Songdo-dong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,449 in Songdo-dong. That’s a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $375 in Songdo-dong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.