Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taguig City

For one person, living is cheaper in Taguig City: $1,017 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Taguig City
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Taguig City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Taguig City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taguig City

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $1,017 in Taguig City, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Taguig City $1,017

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,533 in Taguig City, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Taguig City $1,533

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $2,049 in Taguig City, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Taguig City $2,049

Seoul costs about 77% more than Taguig City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Taguig City is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.90 ₱246

133.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$26.47 ₱1,666

151.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$3.09 ₱195

142.39%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.47 ₱156

69.64%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.74 ₱46.34

109.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.44 ₱27.39

79.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.20 ₱75.6

203.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.39 ₱151

156.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.92 ₱121

9.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.44 ₱90.7

111.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.88 ₱55.4

378.41%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.77 ₱112

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$5.13 ₱323

251.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$4.59 ₱289

125.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$8.01 ₱504

230.46%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.29 ₱144

245.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.82 ₱115

89.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$2.74 ₱173

105.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.06 ₱67.0

504.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.66 ₱104

123.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$2.66 ₱168

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$1.60 ₱101

79.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.55 ₱34.73

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.92 ₱184

15.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$8.67 ₱546

115.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.28 ₱80.6

78.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.00 ₱126

65.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.20 ₱12.57

465.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.78 ₱49.42

351.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.23 ₱14.45

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$1.92 ₱121

356.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.25 ₱78.7

16.00%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

39.96%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

45.69%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$110 ₱6,907

92.22%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$15.53 ₱978

127.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$23.08 ₱1,453

-10.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$40.31 ₱2,538

43.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.58 ₱414

72.80%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$133 ₱8,378

1378.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$8,811 ₱554.7K

158.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$40.50 ₱2,550

41.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$27.26 ₱1,716

21.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$66.8 ₱4,207

4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$58.4 ₱3,674

44.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$624 ₱39.3K

40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$443 ₱27.9K

40.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$2,553 ₱160.8K

-1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$819 ₱51.6K

57.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,934 ₱247.7K

671.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,346 ₱84.7K

782.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$467 ₱29.4K

670.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.83

-40.26%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Taguig City: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Taguig City

$443 43.6% 29% $181

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Taguig City

$196 19.3% 59.1% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Taguig City

$148 14.6% 44.4% $118

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Taguig City

$86 8.4% 53.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taguig City

$87 8.5% 21.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Taguig City

$53 5.3% 33.5% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Taguig City

$2.7 * 0.3% 95.3% $55

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 $624 in Taguig City. 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 670% higher in Seoul, 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $26.00 in Taguig City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $196 – making Taguig City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇵🇭 Taguig City

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

47,397

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Taguig City 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Taguig City

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 Taguig City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 77% more than Taguig City, 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 $1,525 in Taguig City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taguig City, 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 $1,017 in Taguig City. That's a gap of about 77%.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $133 in Taguig City. 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 Taguig City, where all-in costs run around $1,017, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Taguig City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Taguig City costs $1,017 versus $1,804 in Seoul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Taguig City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.