Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,804 a month against $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
St. Andrews $2,285

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $3,891 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
St. Andrews $3,891

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $5,496 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
St. Andrews $5,496

Seoul is about 21% cheaper than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, St. Andrews by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$21.15 £15.87

-56.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$87.9 £65.9

-24.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$10.51 £7.89

-28.73%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$4.61 £3.46

-9.11%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$2.84 £2.13

-45.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$2.10 £1.57

-62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$6.76 £5.07

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$6.76 £5.07

-9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.51 £1.13

39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.71 £1.28

78.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$2.03 £1.52

107.39%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$4.49 £3.37

-21.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$7.37 £5.53

144.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$9.65 £7.24

7.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$15.41 £11.56

71.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.50 £1.88

216.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.33 £1.00

158.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.76 £2.07

104.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$2.86 £2.15

124.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.69 £1.27

119.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.52 £1.14

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.20 £0.90

139.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$2.46 £1.85

-52.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$22.57 £16.93

-85.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$10.86 £8.15

72.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$2.70 £2.03

-15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.98 £2.24

11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$4.79 £3.59

-76.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$4.05 £3.04

-13.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$2.44 £1.83

-73.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$23.73 £17.80

-63.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$2.10 £1.58

-30.95%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$38.3K £28.7K

-22.57%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$41.2K £30.9K

-31.53%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$243 £182

-13.10%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$13.40 £10.06

163.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$41.64 £31.24

-50.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$91.6 £68.7

-36.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$13.06 £9.80

-12.94%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$1,806 £1,355

8.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$22.8K £17.1K

-0.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$95.6 £71.7

-39.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$48.97 £36.74

-32.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$104 £77.8

-32.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$88.5 £66.4

-4.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$1,366 £1,025

-35.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$1,055 £792

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$3,104 £2,329

-19.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$2,743 £2,058

-53.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$6,137 £4,604

394.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,718 £2,039

337.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$3,397 £2,548

5.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.41

-24.58%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2% 69.1% $431

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

St. Andrews

$304 13.3% 36.5% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

St. Andrews

$298 13% 11.6% $31

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

St. Andrews

$323 14.1% 74.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

St. Andrews

$152 6.6% 37.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

St. Andrews

$118 5.2% 46.3% $37

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6% 38.9% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $1,366 in St. Andrews. 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 Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $88.0 in St. Andrews. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Seoul vs $304 in St. Andrews – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

16,460

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul St. Andrews 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Andrews costs about 27% more than Seoul, 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 $2,707 per month in Seoul and $3,428 in St. Andrews. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $2,285 in St. Andrews. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $1,806 in St. Andrews. 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 $1,804, than in St. Andrews at $2,285. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Andrews 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, St. Andrews makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.