Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Ulsan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulsan $1,339
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $2,185 per month in Ulsan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulsan $2,185
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $3,030 per month in Ulsan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Ulsan $3,030
Seoul $3,931

Ulsan is about 25% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ulsan sits 1% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-13.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-34.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-21.35%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$4.23 ₩5,624

-21.51%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$1.63 ₩2,167

-46.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$0.74 ₩985

-36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$3.64 ₩4,843

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$6.15 ₩8,175

-28.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$2.01 ₩2,679

17.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$3.13 ₩4,164

3.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$4.32 ₩5,744

-26.85%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$3.61 ₩4,794

-24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-38.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$10.45 ₩13.9K

1.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$7.66 ₩10.2K

48.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$3.38 ₩4,499

10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$5.81 ₩7,723

39.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$6.41 ₩8,520

-5.62%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$3.75 ₩4,983

60.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$2.54 ₩3,375

28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$2.84 ₩3,782

1.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$1.11 ₩1,472

15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$3.35 ₩4,455

-6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$18.49 ₩24.6K

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$2.40 ₩3,185

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$3.37 ₩4,480

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$1.14 ₩1,521

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$3.49 ₩4,643

-17.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$0.63 ₩840

23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$8.86 ₩11.8K

91.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.51 ₩2,005

-5.30%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$29.3K ₩38.9M

2.54%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$28.2K ₩37.5M

21.00%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$218 ₩289.2K

-9.48%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$35.15 ₩46.7K

5.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$21.29 ₩28.3K

27.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$58.1 ₩77.2K

4.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-8.93%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-86.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-3.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-9.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$33.39 ₩44.4K

36.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-14.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-9.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$901 ₩1.2M

-58.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$612 ₩813.5K

-60.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-48.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-84.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-79.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-36.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

4.08

3.43%

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 2.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 4.9% $13

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 151% $368

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 24.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 4.9% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 405% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $373 in Ulsan 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 57% 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 $45.00 in Ulsan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $489 in Ulsan vs $477 in Seoul – so Seoul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

Same time as Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ulsan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 34% more than Ulsan, 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 $2,009 per month in Ulsan 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 Ulsan, 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 $1,339 in Ulsan and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Ulsan and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulsan, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Ulsan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulsan – 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 Ulsan. 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.