Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Thomas and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in St. Thomas and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,432 per month in St. Thomas vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

St. Thomas $2,432
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in St. Thomas vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

St. Thomas $3,274
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $4,117 per month in St. Thomas vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

St. Thomas $4,117
Seoul $3,931

St. Thomas costs about 36% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St. Thomas and Seoul sit above the global median – St. Thomas by 80%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.05 CA$29.76

$8.80 ₩11.7K

139.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$88.5

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$7.54 ₩10.0K

50.93%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CA$4.69

$4.23 ₩5,624

-21.51%

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

$2.19 CA$3.10

$1.63 ₩2,167

34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$0.74 ₩985

114.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 CA$7.10

$3.64 ₩4,843

37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CA$8.33

$6.15 ₩8,175

-4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.95

$2.01 ₩2,679

3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$3.13 ₩4,164

-16.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.27

$4.32 ₩5,744

-13.66%

Eggs

$3.09 CA$4.37

$3.61 ₩4,794

-14.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-44.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.43 CA$21.81

$10.45 ₩13.9K

47.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.20 CA$27.15

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.46

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-49.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$3.38 ₩4,499

-63.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$5.81 ₩7,723

-39.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.61

$6.41 ₩8,520

-38.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$3.75 ₩4,983

-10.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.54 ₩3,375

20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$2.84 ₩3,782

0.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.06

$1.11 ₩1,472

31.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CA$15.52

$3.35 ₩4,455

227.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-31.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$2.40 ₩3,185

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.37 ₩4,480

-17.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.14 ₩1,521

97.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$82.9

$46.11 ₩61.3K

27.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 CA$3.26

$3.49 ₩4,643

-34.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$0.63 ₩840

157.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 CA$30.68

$8.86 ₩11.8K

144.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.51 ₩2,005

-25.17%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-4.24%

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

$19.7K CA$27.9K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-30.13%

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

$123 CA$174

$218 ₩289.2K

-43.28%

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

$42.76 CA$60.5

$35.15 ₩46.7K

21.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CA$78.4

$21.29 ₩28.3K

160.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 CA$62.8

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-23.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 CA$28.72

$16.10 ₩21.4K

26.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.61

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-8.66%

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

$399 CA$564

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-79.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.5K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-27.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$75.7

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-6.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 CA$50.7

$33.39 ₩44.4K

7.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$71.5 ₩95.0K

15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$128

$82.5 ₩109.7K

9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,622

$901 ₩1.2M

27.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 CA$1,792

$612 ₩813.5K

107.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CA$2,537

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,078

$1,266 ₩1.7M

16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,187 CA$5,919

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-85.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 CA$5,034

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-70.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,970 CA$4,198

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-18.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.08

22.30%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 51.7% $656

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$387 15.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 23.1% $89

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$294 12.1%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 37.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$222 9.1%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 23.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 4.9%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 6.8% $8

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$78 3.2%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 26.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$65 2.7%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 24% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,148 in St. Thomas versus $901 in Seoul. 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 23% higher in Seoul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in St. Thomas versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $477 – making St. Thomas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

22:34 10:34 PM

13 h ahead of St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St. Thomas Seoul 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
Seoul

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

St. Thomas vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Thomas costs about 36% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,648 per month in St. Thomas and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $399 per month in St. Thomas and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in St. Thomas at $2,432. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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