Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Uijeongbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Uijeongbu: $1,239 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Uijeongbu
Learn more

Uijeongbu Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Uijeongbu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Uijeongbu

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,239 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Uijeongbu $1,239

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,889 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Uijeongbu $1,889

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $2,538 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Uijeongbu $2,538

Seoul costs about 49% more than Uijeongbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Uijeongbu is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$6.64 ₩8,897

36.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.6K

$34.36 ₩46.1K

98.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,851

$6.66 ₩8,934

10.36%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,520

$3.72 ₩4,991

10.75%

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

$1.64 ₩2,203

$1.54 ₩2,071

6.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,081

$0.75 ₩999

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,971

$3.55 ₩4,753

4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,221

$4.45 ₩5,960

37.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.05 ₩2,742

-0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,303

$3.15 ₩4,221

1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,881

$2.25 ₩3,022

95.11%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,814

$3.32 ₩4,449

8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.4K

$15.46 ₩20.7K

17.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$7.91 ₩10.6K

32.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.0K

$11.49 ₩15.4K

134.03%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$7.62 ₩10.2K

3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,730

$3.26 ₩4,370

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,646

$5.67 ₩7,596

0.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,281

$6.17 ₩8,276

0.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,044

$3.59 ₩4,814

4.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,367

$2.37 ₩3,178

5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,773

$2.05 ₩2,747

37.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,487

$1.16 ₩1,560

-4.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,424

$3.41 ₩4,568

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.92 ₩25.4K

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,242

$2.27 ₩3,043

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,501

$3.23 ₩4,327

4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,597

$1.14 ₩1,531

4.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,761

$3.51 ₩4,704

1.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩809

$0.59 ₩795

1.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$9.13 ₩12.2K

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,927

$1.40 ₩1,877

2.86%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$29.5K ₩39.5M

2.66%

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

$28.9K ₩38.7M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

2.44%

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

$213 ₩284.9K

$210 ₩281.7K

1.13%

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

$35.83 ₩48.0K

$34.87 ₩46.7K

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$21.08 ₩28.3K

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.6K

$53.6 ₩71.8K

15.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$13.84 ₩18.5K

18.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.16 ₩15.0K

2.33%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$373 ₩500.1K

422.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.5M

$18.1K ₩24.2M

25.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.1K

$59.2 ₩79.3K

1.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.8K

$32.30 ₩43.3K

5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.4K

$71.3 ₩95.6K

-7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.8K

$81.3 ₩109.0K

0.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$267 ₩357.8K

246.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩883.5K

$224 ₩299.8K

194.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$487 ₩652.6K

518.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$411 ₩551.1K

250.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.4M

$7,146 ₩9.6M

280.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$5,504 ₩7.4M

105.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$2,265 ₩3.0M

57.59%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Uijeongbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Uijeongbu

$224 18.1% 66.1% $435

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Uijeongbu

$399 32.2% 17.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Uijeongbu

$266 21.5% 1.3% $3.6

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Uijeongbu

$154 12.4% 16.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Uijeongbu

$110 8.9% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Uijeongbu

$76 6.1% 10.1% $8.6

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Uijeongbu

$11 * 0.9% 80.8% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $267 in Uijeongbu. 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 58% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $34 in Uijeongbu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $399 – making Uijeongbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Uijeongbu

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

463,077

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Uijeongbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 49% more than Uijeongbu, 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 $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,859 in Uijeongbu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uijeongbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,239 in Uijeongbu. That makes Uijeongbu about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $373 in Uijeongbu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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