Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Ulsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
Learn more

Ulsan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Ulsan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $1,339 in Ulsan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Ulsan $1,339

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $2,185 in Ulsan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Ulsan $2,185

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $3,030 in Ulsan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Ulsan $3,030

Seoul costs about 34% more than Ulsan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Ulsan is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$7.62 ₩10.1K

15.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$44.63 ₩59.3K

53.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.93 ₩7,882

27.15%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.32 ₩4,410

27.41%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.88 ₩1,175

85.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.47 ₩619

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$3.01 ₩4,006

20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$4.38 ₩5,826

40.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$2.36 ₩3,139

-14.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$3.25 ₩4,315

-3.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$3.16 ₩4,207

36.71%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$2.73 ₩3,634

32.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$10.88 ₩14.5K

63.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-1.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$24.54 ₩32.6K

5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$11.39 ₩15.1K

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$3.74 ₩4,975

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$8.09 ₩10.8K

-28.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$6.05 ₩8,048

5.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$6.01 ₩7,992

-37.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$3.26 ₩4,328

-22.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$2.89 ₩3,844

-1.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.28 ₩1,707

-13.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.12 ₩4,154

7.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$18.52 ₩24.6K

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$2.45 ₩3,264

-2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.44 ₩4,577

-2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$1.14 ₩1,511

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$2.89 ₩3,849

20.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.78 ₩1,040

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$16.96 ₩22.6K

-47.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.43 ₩1,899

5.59%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$30.0K ₩39.9M

-2.48%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$34.1K ₩45.4M

-17.36%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$197 ₩261.8K

10.48%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$37.06 ₩49.3K

-5.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$27.21 ₩36.2K

-21.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$60.4 ₩80.3K

-3.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$10.30 ₩13.7K

9.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$263 ₩349.3K

641.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$22.0K ₩29.3M

3.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$51.5 ₩68.5K

10.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$45.56 ₩60.6K

-26.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$61.0 ₩81.2K

17.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$75.0 ₩99.7K

10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$373 ₩495.3K

141.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$244 ₩324.7K

150.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$761 ₩1.0M

232.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$648 ₩861.8K

95.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$4,483 ₩6.0M

556.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,479 ₩3.3M

380.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$2,331 ₩3.1M

56.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.22

-3.32%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Ulsan

$244 18.2% 60.1% $368

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Ulsan

$489 36.5% 2.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Ulsan

$261 19.5% 4.7% $13

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Ulsan

$148 11% 19.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Ulsan

$105 7.8% 4.6% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Ulsan

$81 6.1% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9% 80.2% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $373 in Ulsan. 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 57% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $45.00 in Ulsan. Groceries tell a different story – $477 in Seoul vs $489 in Ulsan – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,129,827

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Ulsan 310 km

From you

Seoul
Ulsan

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 Ulsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 34% more than Ulsan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,009 in Ulsan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulsan, 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 $1,794 in Seoul and $1,339 in Ulsan. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $263 in Ulsan. 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 Ulsan, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Ulsan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulsan – 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 Ulsan. 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.