Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Wonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Wonju: $1,538 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seoul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Wonju
Learn more

Wonju Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Wonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Wonju

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,538 in Wonju, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Wonju $1,538

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,443 in Wonju, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Wonju $2,443

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,348 in Wonju, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Wonju $3,348

Seoul costs about 20% more than Wonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seoul and Wonju sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Wonju by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$7.38 ₩9,915

22.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$48.04 ₩64.5K

42.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$6.60 ₩8,859

11.36%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$3.63 ₩4,871

13.50%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$1.79 ₩2,407

-8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$1.45 ₩1,952

-44.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$3.78 ₩5,081

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$4.37 ₩5,873

40.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$2.33 ₩3,130

-12.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$3.22 ₩4,320

-0.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$3.19 ₩4,286

37.62%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$2.72 ₩3,647

31.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$10.90 ₩14.6K

67.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$10.34 ₩13.9K

1.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$24.57 ₩33.0K

9.44%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$11.41 ₩15.3K

-31.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$3.70 ₩4,971

-4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$8.22 ₩11.0K

-30.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$6.00 ₩8,058

3.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$6.06 ₩8,142

-37.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$3.42 ₩4,598

-26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$2.74 ₩3,684

2.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$1.29 ₩1,733

-13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.48 ₩4,666

-5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.63 ₩25.0K

0.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$2.39 ₩3,211

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$3.49 ₩4,688

-3.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$1.11 ₩1,494

7.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$3.58 ₩4,804

-0.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.78 ₩1,053

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$17.10 ₩23.0K

-46.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.24 ₩1,662

16.13%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$39.2K ₩52.7M

-22.83%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$33.6K ₩45.1M

-14.05%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$200 ₩268.7K

6.20%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$36.97 ₩49.6K

-3.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$26.68 ₩35.8K

-19.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$53.6 ₩71.9K

15.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$14.22 ₩19.1K

15.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.91 ₩16.0K

-4.11%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$488 ₩655.9K

298.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$21.5K ₩28.9M

5.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$104 ₩139.8K

-42.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$94.2 ₩126.5K

-29.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$127 ₩170.8K

-35.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$489 ₩657.0K

88.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$359 ₩481.7K

83.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,178 ₩1.6M

155.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$760 ₩1.0M

89.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$7,208 ₩9.7M

276.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$5,535 ₩7.4M

104.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

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 26, 2026

Last update for Wonju: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Wonju

$359 23.3% 45.6% $300

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Wonju

$487 31.7% 0.7% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Wonju

$264 17.2% 2.2% $6

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Wonju

$163 10.6% 11.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Wonju

$176 11.4% 61.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Wonju

$77 5% 8.4% $7.1

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Wonju

$12 * 0.8% 79.2% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $489 in Wonju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $48 in Wonju. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $487 in Wonju – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Wonju

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

340,196

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Wonju 87 km

From you

Seoul
Wonju

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 Wonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 20% more than Wonju, 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 $2,771 per month in Seoul and $2,307 in Wonju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wonju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $489 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,538 in Wonju. That’s a gap of about 20%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul and $48 in Wonju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Wonju – 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.