Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Visby

For one person, living is cheaper in Visby: $1,724 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Visby
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Visby Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Visby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Visby

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,724 in Visby, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Visby $1,724

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,717 in Visby, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Visby $2,717

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,709 in Visby, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Visby $3,709

Seoul costs about 7% more than Visby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seoul and Visby sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Visby by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$12.84 SEK 126

-29.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.1K

$79.2 SEK 777

-13.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,800

$9.24 SEK 90.8

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,491

$3.83 SEK 37.58

7.57%

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

$1.64 ₩2,192

$2.34 SEK 23.00

-29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,075

$2.54 SEK 24.92

-68.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,946

$7.55 SEK 74.1

-50.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,179

$4.06 SEK 39.82

50.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,723

$1.47 SEK 14.42

38.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,281

$2.92 SEK 28.71

9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,851

$3.06 SEK 30.06

43.46%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,789

$3.82 SEK 37.50

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.3K

$10.14 SEK 99.5

79.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.0K

$11.64 SEK 114

-9.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.9K

$16.22 SEK 159

65.78%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$2.95 SEK 28.98

166.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,706

$2.54 SEK 24.92

38.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,607

$3.09 SEK 30.38

84.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,239

$4.31 SEK 42.36

43.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,018

$1.72 SEK 16.92

118.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,350

$1.67 SEK 16.37

50.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,754

$2.13 SEK 20.95

32.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,480

$1.03 SEK 10.16

7.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,401

$5.01 SEK 49.21

-34.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.9K

$11.85 SEK 116

57.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,225

$2.20 SEK 21.59

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,478

$1.53 SEK 15.02

119.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,589

$2.98 SEK 29.31

-60.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.5K

$78.1 SEK 767

-40.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,737

$3.44 SEK 33.82

3.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩805

$2.47 SEK 24.30

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.1K

$79.8 SEK 783

-88.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,917

$1.81 SEK 17.79

-20.44%

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$33.5K SEK 329.1K

-9.68%

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

$28.9K ₩38.5M

$33.6K SEK 329.7K

-13.94%

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

$213 ₩283.4K

$185 SEK 1,813

15.12%

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

$35.83 ₩47.8K

$22.66 SEK 223

58.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.5K

$42.60 SEK 418

-49.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.2K

$37.83 SEK 371

62.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.9K

$26.46 SEK 260

-37.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.2K

$13.79 SEK 135

-17.19%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$149 SEK 1,467

1203.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.4M

$4,977 SEK 48.9K

357.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.7K

$103 SEK 1,009

-41.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.6K

$39.66 SEK 389

-13.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.0K

$89.1 SEK 875

-25.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.2K

$137 SEK 1,344

-40.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$715 SEK 7,018

29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩879.0K

$556 SEK 5,458

18.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,338 SEK 13.1K

125.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,036 SEK 10.2K

38.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.2M

$4,002 SEK 39.3K

578.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$2,746 SEK 27.0K

311.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$2,491 SEK 24.5K

43.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.53

15.58%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Visby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Visby

$556 32.2% 15.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Visby

$340 19.7% 29.7% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Visby

$250 14.5% 7.4% $20

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Visby

$242 14% 31.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Visby

$166 9.6% 52.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Visby

$65 3.8% 22.6% $19

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Visby

$106 6.1% 84.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $715 in Visby. 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 43% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $79 in Visby. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $340 in Visby – so Visby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇪 Visby

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

8 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

22,593

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,488 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seoul Visby 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Visby

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 Visby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 7% more than Visby, 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 $2,587 in Visby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Visby, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $715 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Public transport costs about 41% 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 $149 in Visby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,848 in Seoul and $1,724 in Visby, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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