Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
St. Thomas $4,117

Seoul is about 26% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and St. Thomas sit above the global median – Seoul by 33%, St. Thomas by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$21.05 CA$29.76

-58.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$62.6 CA$88.5

9.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$11.38 CA$16.09

-33.74%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.32 CA$4.69

27.41%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$2.19 CA$3.10

-25.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$1.59 CA$2.24

-53.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$5.02 CA$7.10

-27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$5.89 CA$8.33

4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.08 CA$2.95

-3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.61 CA$3.69

19.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.73 CA$5.27

15.82%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$3.09 CA$4.37

16.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.94 CA$14.05

79.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$15.43 CA$21.81

-32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$19.20 CA$27.15

34.38%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$3.86 CA$5.46

98.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.24 CA$1.75

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$3.49 CA$4.94

66.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$3.97 CA$5.61

61.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$3.36 CA$4.76

11.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.07 CA$4.34

-17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.85 CA$4.03

-0.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.46 CA$2.06

-23.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$10.98 CA$15.52

-69.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$12.74 CA$18.01

45.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.40 CA$3.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.78 CA$3.93

21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$2.25 CA$3.18

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$58.7 CA$82.9

-21.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.30 CA$3.26

51.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$1.62 CA$2.29

-61.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$21.70 CA$30.68

-59.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.13 CA$1.59

33.63%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$28.0K CA$39.6K

4.43%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.7K CA$27.9K

43.12%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$123 CA$174

76.30%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$42.76 CA$60.5

-17.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$55.5 CA$78.4

-61.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$44.43 CA$62.8

30.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$20.32 CA$28.72

-20.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$10.33 CA$14.61

9.49%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$399 CA$564

388.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.7K CA$23.5K

37.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$53.5 CA$75.7

6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$35.84 CA$50.7

-6.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$82.2 CA$116

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$90.6 CA$128

-8.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$1,148 CA$1,622

-21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$1,267 CA$1,792

-51.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$1,794 CA$2,537

40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$1,470 CA$2,078

-13.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$4,187 CA$5,919

602.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$3,561 CA$5,034

234.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,970 CA$4,198

22.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.99

-18.24%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 107% $656

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 18.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 19.1% $52

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 60.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 7.3% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 19.3% $16

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 36.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 23% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $63.0 in St. Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $387 – making St. Thomas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

13 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

38,909

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul St. Thomas 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
St. Thomas

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. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Thomas costs about 36% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $3,648 in St. Thomas. 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 27% 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 $399 in St. Thomas. 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 St. Thomas at $2,432. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas 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. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.