Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Yangsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangsan: $1,543 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 Yangsan
Learn more

Yangsan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Yangsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Yangsan

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,543 in Yangsan, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Yangsan $1,543

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,450 in Yangsan, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Yangsan $2,450

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $3,358 in Yangsan, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Yangsan $3,358

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$7.40 ₩9,924

22.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.6K

$48.46 ₩64.9K

41.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,851

$6.74 ₩9,038

9.05%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,520

$3.59 ₩4,807

14.76%

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

$1.64 ₩2,203

$1.85 ₩2,482

-11.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,081

$1.47 ₩1,973

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,971

$3.86 ₩5,169

-3.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,221

$4.27 ₩5,726

43.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$2.35 ₩3,154

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,303

$3.23 ₩4,334

-0.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,881

$3.13 ₩4,189

40.26%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,814

$2.74 ₩3,667

31.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.4K

$11.28 ₩15.1K

61.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$10.33 ₩13.8K

1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.0K

$25.15 ₩33.7K

6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$11.28 ₩15.1K

-30.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,730

$3.64 ₩4,879

-3.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,646

$7.91 ₩10.6K

-27.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,281

$5.89 ₩7,890

4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,044

$5.94 ₩7,959

-36.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,367

$3.40 ₩4,554

-26.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,773

$2.78 ₩3,722

1.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,487

$1.30 ₩1,739

-14.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,424

$3.41 ₩4,568

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$18.63 ₩25.0K

0.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,242

$2.37 ₩3,183

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,501

$3.40 ₩4,563

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,597

$1.11 ₩1,481

7.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,761

$3.50 ₩4,694

1.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩809

$0.76 ₩1,021

-21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$16.72 ₩22.4K

-45.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,927

$1.41 ₩1,888

2.13%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$38.9K ₩52.1M

-22.18%

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

$28.9K ₩38.7M

$33.6K ₩45.0M

-14.02%

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

$213 ₩284.9K

$202 ₩270.2K

5.44%

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

$35.83 ₩48.0K

$36.76 ₩49.3K

-2.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$27.37 ₩36.7K

-21.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.6K

$54.3 ₩72.7K

13.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$13.94 ₩18.7K

17.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$11.86 ₩15.9K

-3.71%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$628 ₩841.9K

210.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.5M

$22.2K ₩29.7M

2.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.1K

$105 ₩141.3K

-43.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.8K

$65.7 ₩88.1K

-47.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.4K

$94.9 ₩127.2K

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.8K

$128 ₩171.7K

-36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$479 ₩641.8K

92.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩883.5K

$359 ₩481.7K

83.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,174 ₩1.6M

156.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$763 ₩1.0M

88.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.4M

$7,015 ₩9.4M

287.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.1M

$5,644 ₩7.6M

100.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,638 ₩2.2M

117.97%

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 Yangsan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Yangsan

$359 23.3% 45.5% $300

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Yangsan

$487 31.6% 0.7% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Yangsan

$266 17.2% 1.5% $4

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Yangsan

$164 10.6% 11.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Yangsan

$177 11.5% 63% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Yangsan

$78 5.1% 7.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Yangsan

$12 * 0.8% 79.6% $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 $479 in Yangsan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

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

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇰🇷 Yangsan

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

Same time as Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

335,474

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Yangsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 20% more than Yangsan, 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 $2,314 in Yangsan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yangsan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $479 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,543 in Yangsan. That makes Yangsan about 17% cheaper.

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

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