Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulan Ude and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulan Ude: $1,098 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,098 per month in Ulan Ude vs $1,822 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulan Ude $1,098
Seoul $1,822

A couple spends around $1,685 per month in Ulan Ude vs $2,847 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulan Ude $1,685
Seoul $2,847

A family of three spends $2,272 per month in Ulan Ude vs $3,872 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulan Ude $2,272
Seoul $3,872

Ulan Ude is about 40% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ulan Ude sits 18% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 ₽579

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 ₽3,969

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-30.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽591

$7.42 ₩9,941

-6.33%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ₽296

$4.08 ₩5,470

-14.95%

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

$1.80 ₽154

$1.60 ₩2,141

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₽147

$0.80 ₩1,078

116.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₽310

$3.65 ₩4,886

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 ₽488

$5.94 ₩7,956

-3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₽107

$2.05 ₩2,742

-38.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ₽71.7

$3.08 ₩4,130

-72.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 ₽38.68

$4.21 ₩5,646

-89.31%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽160

$3.57 ₩4,784

-47.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 ₽987

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-35.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ₽502

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-44.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ₽885

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-60.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₽103

$7.42 ₩9,946

-83.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽152

$3.53 ₩4,732

-49.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ₽99.3

$5.87 ₩7,866

-80.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₽198

$6.37 ₩8,534

-63.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.94

$3.75 ₩5,028

-84.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ₽71.5

$2.49 ₩3,337

-66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 ₽295

$2.92 ₩3,911

18.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₽62.0

$1.15 ₩1,542

-36.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 ₽243

$3.29 ₩4,408

-13.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 ₽695

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽49.24

$2.28 ₩3,057

-74.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽101

$3.28 ₩4,398

-63.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.80

$1.14 ₩1,526

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 ₽1,972

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-49.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ₽103

$3.48 ₩4,663

-65.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₽14.61

$0.60 ₩803

-71.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ₽605

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-18.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 ₽66.1

$1.50 ₩2,004

-48.00%

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

$47.6K ₽4.0M

$29.1K ₩39.0M

63.46%

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

$35.1K ₽3.0M

$28.2K ₩37.8M

24.42%

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

$118 ₽10.1K

$209 ₩279.9K

-43.34%

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

$3.50 ₽298

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-90.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 ₽698

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-61.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.55 ₽2,004

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-58.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.08 ₽4,091

$15.89 ₩21.3K

202.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₽585

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-39.36%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ₽5,992

$58.9 ₩78.9K

19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 ₽2,503

$32.12 ₩43.0K

-8.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₽9,919

$70.1 ₩94.0K

66.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 ₽10.1K

$82.5 ₩110.5K

44.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 ₽42.6K

$885 ₩1.2M

-43.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ₽31.5K

$624 ₩835.5K

-40.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₽65.7K

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-69.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 ₽49.3K

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-54.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 ₽168.2K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-93.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ₽130.9K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-87.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$884 ₽75.2K

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-75.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.67

4.08

431.13%

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

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 3, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 68.2% $253

Groceries & Markets

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 132% $272

Eating Out

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 14.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 27.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulan Ude

$130 12%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 104% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 115% $43

Getting Around

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 109% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $501 in Ulan Ude versus $885 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 313% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Ulan Ude versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $479 – making Ulan Ude the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

1 h ahead of Ulan Ude

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,138

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ulan Ude Seoul 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulan Ude
Seoul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ulan Ude vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 66% more than Ulan Ude, 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 $1,647 per month in Ulan Ude and $2,733 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,098 in Ulan Ude and $1,822 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 66%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Ulan Ude and $67.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulan Ude, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Ulan Ude it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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