Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Suji-gu

For one person, living is cheaper in Suji-gu: $1,362 a month against $1,829 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Suji-gu
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Suji-gu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,829

/mo nomad

Suji-gu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,829 per month in Seoul vs $1,362 in Suji-gu, rent included.

Seoul $1,829
Suji-gu $1,362

A couple spends around $2,973 per month in Seoul vs $2,251 in Suji-gu, rent included.

Seoul $2,973
Suji-gu $2,251

A family of three spends $4,116 per month in Seoul vs $3,139 in Suji-gu, rent included.

Seoul $4,116
Suji-gu $3,139

Seoul costs about 34% more than Suji-gu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$5.86 ₩7,845

51.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 ₩93.0K

$34.38 ₩46.0K

101.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 ₩10.0K

$6.87 ₩9,199

9.17%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,412

$3.71 ₩4,972

8.89%

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

$1.56 ₩2,084

$1.53 ₩2,046

1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩981

$0.62 ₩825

17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ₩4,894

$3.54 ₩4,737

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 ₩7,869

$4.44 ₩5,944

32.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₩2,787

$2.02 ₩2,702

2.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₩4,029

$3.05 ₩4,085

-1.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 ₩5,601

$2.63 ₩3,516

58.94%

Eggs

$3.63 ₩4,865

$3.26 ₩4,358

11.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 ₩23.9K

$15.46 ₩20.7K

15.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₩13.8K

$10.41 ₩13.9K

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩35.0K

$10.99 ₩14.7K

138.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,930

$6.85 ₩9,165

8.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,622

$2.43 ₩3,257

41.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.60 ₩7,493

$4.51 ₩6,043

24.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 ₩8,419

$6.28 ₩8,405

0.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,823

$3.35 ₩4,486

7.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,356

$2.50 ₩3,352

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 ₩3,713

$2.07 ₩2,775

33.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,527

$1.14 ₩1,526

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,582

$3.30 ₩4,417

3.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ₩24.9K

$13.76 ₩18.4K

35.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,086

$2.30 ₩3,085

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₩4,475

$3.20 ₩4,280

4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,499

$1.09 ₩1,457

2.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.78 ₩62.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,819

$3.67 ₩4,910

-1.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩806

$0.57 ₩757

5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₩11.9K

$8.90 ₩11.9K

-0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩1,996

$1.34 ₩1,789

11.19%

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

$29.7K ₩39.7M

$29.7K ₩39.8M

-0.20%

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

$28.0K ₩37.5M

$27.9K ₩37.4M

0.23%

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

$216 ₩289.0K

$211 ₩283.0K

2.13%

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

$34.52 ₩46.2K

$35.23 ₩47.2K

-2.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 ₩27.2K

$20.77 ₩27.8K

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₩79.3K

$48.66 ₩65.2K

21.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.93 ₩21.3K

$13.08 ₩17.5K

21.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 ₩14.7K

$11.11 ₩14.9K

-0.90%

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

$1,962 ₩2.6M

$447 ₩598.4K

339.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.2M

$17.6K ₩23.5M

49.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₩83.4K

$62.8 ₩84.1K

-0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.82 ₩45.3K

$32.96 ₩44.1K

2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 ₩90.9K

$68.3 ₩91.5K

-0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ₩111.0K

$80.5 ₩107.7K

3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 ₩1.2M

$536 ₩717.4K

71.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₩875.2K

$369 ₩494.6K

76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 ₩4.1M

$1,386 ₩1.9M

123.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 ₩2.0M

$1,061 ₩1.4M

37.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K ₩38.0M

$6,456 ₩8.6M

339.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K ₩15.2M

$6,213 ₩8.3M

83.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,496 ₩4.7M

$1,132 ₩1.5M

208.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Seoul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Suji-gu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$654 35.7%

Suji-gu

$369 27.1% 43.5% $284

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$474 25.9%

Suji-gu

$386 28.4% 18.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$271 14.8%

Suji-gu

$267 19.6% 1.2% $3.4

Eating Out

Seoul

$181 9.9%

Suji-gu

$147 10.8% 18.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$111 6.1%

Suji-gu

$110 8.1% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.4%

Suji-gu

$71 5.2% 12.7% $10

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Suji-gu

$11 * 0.8% 81.3% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Seoul versus $536 in Suji-gu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Seoul versus $34 in Suji-gu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $474 vs $386 – making Suji-gu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Suji-gu

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

374,948

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Seoul vs Suji-gu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 34% more than Suji-gu, 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 $2,744 per month in Seoul and $2,043 in Suji-gu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suji-gu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $536 there versus $918 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,829 in Seoul and $1,362 in Suji-gu. That makes Suji-gu about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,962 per month in Seoul and $447 in Suji-gu. 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 Suji-gu, where all-in costs run around $1,362, than in Seoul at $1,829. In Suji-gu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suji-gu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Suji-gu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.