Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uijeongbu and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Uijeongbu: $1,239 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Uijeongbu
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Uijeongbu Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Uijeongbu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,239

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uijeongbu 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 Uijeongbu and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,239 per month in Uijeongbu vs $1,848 in Seoul, rent included.

Uijeongbu $1,239
Seoul $1,848

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Uijeongbu vs $2,986 in Seoul, rent included.

Uijeongbu $1,889
Seoul $2,986

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Uijeongbu vs $4,125 in Seoul, rent included.

Uijeongbu $2,538
Seoul $4,125

Uijeongbu is about 33% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Uijeongbu sits 9% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.64 ₩8,913

$9.05 ₩12.1K

-26.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.36 ₩46.1K

$68.3 ₩91.8K

-49.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ₩8,950

$7.35 ₩9,868

-9.39%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ₩5,000

$4.12 ₩5,530

-9.71%

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

$1.54 ₩2,075

$1.64 ₩2,207

-6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₩1,001

$0.81 ₩1,083

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 ₩4,761

$3.71 ₩4,980

-4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₩5,970

$6.13 ₩8,236

-27.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,747

$2.04 ₩2,742

0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 ₩4,228

$3.21 ₩4,311

-1.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₩3,028

$4.39 ₩5,892

-48.75%

Eggs

$3.32 ₩4,457

$3.59 ₩4,822

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 ₩20.8K

$18.23 ₩24.5K

-15.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$10.51 ₩14.1K

-24.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ₩15.4K

$26.89 ₩36.1K

-57.27%

Apples (1kg)

$7.62 ₩10.2K

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-3.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,378

$3.53 ₩4,739

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 ₩7,610

$5.70 ₩7,660

-0.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 ₩8,291

$6.18 ₩8,296

-0.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,823

$3.76 ₩5,053

-4.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 ₩3,184

$2.51 ₩3,373

-5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 ₩2,752

$2.82 ₩3,780

-27.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,562

$1.11 ₩1,490

4.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,576

$3.30 ₩4,432

3.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₩25.4K

$18.64 ₩25.0K

1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,048

$2.42 ₩3,248

-6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₩4,335

$3.36 ₩4,509

-3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

$1.19 ₩1,600

-4.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ₩4,712

$3.55 ₩4,770

-1.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₩797

$0.60 ₩810

-1.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 ₩12.3K

$9.08 ₩12.2K

0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₩1,880

$1.44 ₩1,931

-2.78%

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

$29.5K ₩39.6M

$30.3K ₩40.6M

-2.59%

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

$28.2K ₩37.9M

$28.9K ₩38.8M

-2.38%

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

$210 ₩282.2K

$213 ₩285.4K

-1.12%

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

$34.87 ₩46.8K

$35.83 ₩48.1K

-2.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.08 ₩28.3K

$21.39 ₩28.7K

-1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩71.9K

$61.6 ₩82.8K

-13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.84 ₩18.6K

$16.41 ₩22.0K

-15.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$11.42 ₩15.3K

-2.28%

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

$373 ₩501.0K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-80.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.3M

$22.8K ₩30.6M

-20.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ₩79.5K

$59.8 ₩80.3K

-1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.30 ₩43.4K

$34.19 ₩45.9K

-5.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 ₩95.8K

$66.0 ₩88.6K

8.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 ₩109.2K

$81.9 ₩110.0K

-0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₩358.4K

$924 ₩1.2M

-71.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₩300.3K

$659 ₩885.1K

-66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₩653.8K

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-83.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 ₩552.0K

$1,440 ₩1.9M

-71.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,146 ₩9.6M

$27.2K ₩36.5M

-73.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,504 ₩7.4M

$11.3K ₩15.2M

-51.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,265 ₩3.0M

$3,570 ₩4.8M

-36.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

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

Last update for Uijeongbu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Uijeongbu

$399 32.2%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 21.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uijeongbu

$266 21.5%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 1.4% $3.6

Accommodation & Living

Uijeongbu

$224 18.1%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 195% $435

Eating Out

Uijeongbu

$154 12.4%

Seoul

$184 10% 20.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Uijeongbu

$110 8.9%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Uijeongbu

$76 6.1%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 11.3% $8.6

Getting Around

Uijeongbu

$11 * 0.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 421% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Uijeongbu versus $924 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 58% higher in Seoul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Uijeongbu versus $68 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $483 – making Uijeongbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Uijeongbu

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

Same time as Uijeongbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,077

9,509,458 Capital

💱 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

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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

Uijeongbu vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 49% more than Uijeongbu, 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 $1,859 per month in Uijeongbu and $2,771 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uijeongbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,239 in Uijeongbu and $1,848 in Seoul. That makes Uijeongbu about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Uijeongbu and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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