Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Springfield, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,641 in Springfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Springfield, IL
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Springfield, IL Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Springfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Springfield, IL

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,641 in Springfield, IL, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Springfield, IL $2,641

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,964 in Springfield, IL, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Springfield, IL $3,964

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $5,286 in Springfield, IL, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Springfield, IL $5,286

Seoul is about 32% cheaper than Springfield, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Seoul and Springfield, IL sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, Springfield, IL by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$14.61 $14.61

-39.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$42.89 $42.89

59.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$10.13 $10.13

-25.57%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$5.20 $5.20

-18.65%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$1.95 $1.95

-16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$1.58 $1.58

-53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$2.94 $2.94

23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.08 $4.08

50.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$0.75 $0.75

168.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.32 $3.32

-5.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$8.91 $8.91

-51.52%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$3.09 $3.09

16.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$19.08 $19.08

-6.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$17.06 $17.06

-38.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$32.40 $32.40

-20.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$8.62 $8.62

-11.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.24 $1.24

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$8.64 $8.64

-32.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$5.54 $5.54

15.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$3.24 $3.24

15.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$4.48 $4.48

-43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$1.97 $1.97

44.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.63 $1.63

-31.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$9.90 $9.90

-66.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$11.03 $11.03

67.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.24 $1.24

93.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.62 $1.62

108.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.24 $1.24

-8.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$39.50 $39.50

16.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$5.68 $5.68

-38.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.09 $1.09

-42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$18.14 $18.14

-51.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$0.95 $0.95

58.95%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$36.4K $36.4K

-19.60%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$26.7K $26.7K

5.63%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$233 $233

-6.51%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$93.2 $93.2

-62.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$64.9 $64.9

-67.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$49.49 $49.49

17.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$19.74 $19.74

-18.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$12.57 $12.57

-10.02%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$931 $931

109.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$105 $105

-45.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$54.9 $54.9

-39.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$125 $125

-43.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$138 $138

-40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$915 $915

-1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,164 $1,164

-47.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,889 $1,889

33.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$2,158 $2,158

-41.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,133 $3,133

839.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,184 $1,184

904.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$3,882 $3,882

-5.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.55

-37.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Springfield, IL: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Springfield, IL

$1.2K 44.1% 90.3% $552

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Springfield, IL

$519 19.6% 8.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Springfield, IL

$391 14.8% 42.6% $117

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Springfield, IL

$247 9.3% 34.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Springfield, IL

$191 7.2% 73.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Springfield, IL

$75 2.8% 7.5% $6

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Springfield, IL

$56 2.1% 3.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $915 in Springfield, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Springfield, IL, 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 $43.00 in Springfield, IL. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $519 in Springfield, IL – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇺🇸 Springfield, IL

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

15:59 3:59 PM

14 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

116,482

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Springfield, IL 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Springfield, IL

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 Springfield, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Springfield, IL costs about 47% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $3,962 in Springfield, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 17% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $931 in Springfield, IL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Springfield, IL at $2,641. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springfield, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Springfield, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.