Cost of Living in Seoul

Summary of cost of living in Seoul, South Korea:

A family of four estimated monthly costs are 4,076.3$ (5,324,706.3₩) without rent (using our estimator).
A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,128.9$ (1,474,684.4₩) without rent.
Seoul is 23.2% less expensive than New York (without rent, see our cost of living index).
Rent in Seoul is, on average, 67.7% lower than in New York.

Restaurants	Edit	Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	10,000.00 ₩	7,000.00-13,000.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	65,000.00 ₩	45,000.00-130,597.41
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	8,000.00 ₩	7,000.00-9,000.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	5,000.00 ₩	2,500.00-6,000.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	6,909.19 ₩	3,800.00-10,000.00
Cappuccino (regular)	5,117.90 ₩	3,500.00-7,000.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2,119.81 ₩	1,700.00-3,184.94
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1,073.98 ₩	800.00-1,600.00
Markets	Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	11,143.83 ₩	8,327.91-15,141.65
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3,807.95 ₩	2,540.12-5,443.11
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2,194.48 ₩	1,133.98-4,490.57
Eggs (regular) (12)	5,035.48 ₩	2,680.00-7,800.00
Local Cheese (1 lb)	7,046.03 ₩	3,628.74-18,143.72
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5,922.91 ₩	2,676.20-8,164.67
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	25,073.60 ₩	11,339.82-45,359.29
Apples (1 lb)	3,716.74 ₩	1,360.78-5,443.11
Banana (1 lb)	2,168.57 ₩	1,315.42-4,354.49
Oranges (1 lb)	3,728.55 ₩	1,360.78-6,558.95
Tomato (1 lb)	3,728.01 ₩	1,814.37-6,350.30
Potato (1 lb)	2,472.13 ₩	1,088.62-4,535.93
Onion (1 lb)	1,866.72 ₩	907.19-2,540.12
Lettuce (1 head)	3,184.98 ₩	1,500.00-4,500.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,403.49 ₩	750.00-2,000.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20,000.00 ₩	12,000.00-40,000.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	3,183.65 ₩	2,000.00-6,000.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3,487.20 ₩	2,500.00-5,000.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	4,500.00 ₩	4,500.00-6,529.87
Transportation	Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	1,250.00 ₩	1,250.00-1,500.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	55,000.00 ₩	55,000.00-80,000.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4,000.00 ₩	3,600.00-4,800.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₩	1,223.10-2,414.02
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	13,500.00 ₩	12,000.00-18,500.00
Gasoline (1 gallon)	7,089.14 ₩	6,056.66-7,987.22
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	42,000,000.00 ₩	38,000,000.00-46,000,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	35,144,531.25 ₩	34,906,250.00-38,000,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)	Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	244,780.30 ₩	150,000.00-350,000.00
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	206.12 ₩	120.00-240.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	30,620.39 ₩	20,000.00-50,000.00
Sports And Leisure	Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	80,089.17 ₩	30,000.00-150,000.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	23,248.89 ₩	14,500.00-30,000.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14,500.00 ₩	12,000.00-18,000.00
Childcare	Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	521,117.65 ₩	400,000.00-703,329.25
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	24,612,292.62 ₩	12,000,000.00-39,000,000.00
Clothing And Shoes	Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	76,371.18 ₩	50,000.00-125,000.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	55,009.76 ₩	30,000.00-90,000.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	98,213.05 ₩	61,000.00-150,000.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	161,865.53 ₩	100,000.00-200,000.00
Rent Per Month	Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,058,888.44 ₩	703,329.25-2,000,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	732,972.37 ₩	500,000.00-1,500,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,550,093.37 ₩	2,000,000.00-6,500,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,181,842.32 ₩	1,200,000.00-3,500,000.00
Buy Apartment Price	Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	2,526,129.25 ₩	1,393,534.00-4,646,971.39
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	1,385,157.45 ₩	743,218.13-1,858,045.34
Salaries And Financing	Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	3,737,385.22 ₩
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	4.03	3.00-5.50

Prices in Seoul

This city had 1822 entries in the past 12 months by 209 different contributors.
Last update: June 2023

Sources and References

Insights (Premium)

Moving to Seoul? Explore:

Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:

Nearby cities:

Cost of Living in Bucheon	14.63 miles
Cost of Living in Anyang	16.48 miles
Cost of Living in Seongnam	17.54 miles
Cost of Living in Uijeongbu	17.54 miles
Cost of Living in Incheon	19.09 miles
Cost of Living in Ilsan	19.10 miles
Cost of Living in Gimpo	19.16 miles
Cost of Living in Gunpo	19.35 miles
Cost of Living in Suji-gu	20.07 miles
Cost of Living in Yangju-si	20.74 miles

This page in other languages:

DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in Seoul

PortuguêsCusto de Vida em Seul

ItalianoCosto della Vita a Seul

FrançaisCoût de la Vie à Séoul

EspañolCosto de Vida en Seúl

Leave a comment:

26 Comments so far

Korean on Aug 26, 2022:

"A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,432,775.68₩ without rent."

This is just nonsense. There is no way, it costs this much to live in Seoul. A rather reasonable number would be around 800,000 to 1,000,000KRW

Anonymous on Jul 26, 2022:

I’m curious is a 130,000,000 KRW ($100,000) salary in Seoul enough to live nice?

Anonymous on Jun 11, 2022:

Apartment prices in Seoul for the past four years
It went up very high
When purchasing an apartment in Seoul, the price per m² is about 40,000 dollars, and the center of Gangnam-gu is about 65,000 dollars per m²

Peter Kim on May 21, 2022:

As for the property price, it is rising rapidly. To rant a flat you would need large amount of deposit. It starts from around 8500 USD = 10,000,000KRW depend on size and location. Also, there is Korean unique ranting system, namely 'Jeonse', which need far more deposit (60~70% of the property price) but there's no monthly rental fee so it is popular option if you have some spare money.
Contract period is usually 2years and you have right to extend once.

Peter Kim on May 21, 2022:

I am a upper middle class in Seoul. And compare to Berlin and Sydney cost of living here is much higher especially fresh fruits and meat products. But it is quite safe city with low crime rate. And services are very fast. Free wifi is available virtually everywhere. If you leave a MacBook on a table in a Cafe nobody touches it. Women can stroll around safely midnight. In a nutshell it is convenient city if you have enough budget.

Anonymous on Nov 28, 2021:

I am a Korean who is very upset about the price of meat. Pork is $3 for 100g and this is crazy. I am very dissatisfied because I eat meat like a North American.

J on Jun 19, 2021:

Say goodbye to fruits and vegetables and eggs then you are good to go.

Anonymous on Feb 14, 2021:

Average mid class here, moved to seoul 10 years ago, getting 40k a year working in a small company, family of 4 (2children),great health and transportation system, can't complain so far except its overpopulated and the air quality is not good.

Anonymous on Jan 23, 2021:

Totally accurate. Been living in Gangnam for 4 years. Rent is dependent on your key money.

Anonymous on Jan 21, 2021:

I'm looking for identical twin Seoul women to live with me.They must be gorgeous intelligent and calm.One set of twins will do and in their early 20's.

Anonymous on Jan 02, 2021:

Yes Seoul is more expensive than other countries but you get what you pay for. Seoul is a very nice and developed city full of progression,a modern city.If you're looking for cities on a budget try Cambodia, Vietnam, or Bangkok.But none of those cities can compare with Seoul's modern and efficient transportation systems and only Japan comes close.

Seoulsaram on Nov 27, 2020:

You should know about the amount of deposit when you are trying to get a rent room in Korea. It is quite massive than other countries. That's a trade off for relatively cheap rent price.

Seoul Song on Oct 29, 2020:

Everything is quite correct but apartment price.
It is increased a lot for last a year

idk on Aug 31, 2020:

is it per month? because i don't see like a per (amount of time) anywhere and im confused lol.

Anonymous on Jun 15, 2020:

Cost of living in seoul –

Minimum wage is about $8, 8 hours * 25 days (when you work for 5 days a week, you get paid for extra day)

$1,600 is the minimum wage per month

Private child care starts from 1800~ 3000 depending on the number of kids, and what nationality you are.

400 USD is not even close.

And preliminary school for expats start from 35,000 to 40,000 usd, equivalent to the tuition level in US.

V on May 26, 2020:

Hi again.
Could someone please message me at KKT @missborja? I really need the answers on my query below comment. Just need the numbers soonest.
Thanks.
V

V on May 26, 2020:

Hi. Is this data still accurate? I am trying to check on the monthly expenses for a 3-month stay in Seoul next year for a quick study. Appreciate your help on the matter.Thank you.

Anonymous on May 10, 2020:

Hi everyone, I’m really eager to move to South Korea from UAE and I would like to know what type of visa do I need to apply for and what are the chances of getting a better job as i wouldn’t mind staying in any of the cities. Thank

Anonymous on Apr 24, 2020:

for argument about salary.
if you are healthy and get a job at construction industry as a unskilled worker,
you can get a 220~260k won at a month. (26days/month)
and minimum wage is about 160k at a month. (5days/week) (in every industry)

Anonymous on Apr 24, 2020:

veteran seoulite//
buger shop in Hongdae is not a ordinary korean restaurant.
for ordinary korean, 8k won is reasonable price for lunch at the seoul.

Anonymous on Mar 30, 2020:

Someone told me that average salary of management person coming out of SKKU is around 60000$ per month? is this true?

Anonymous on Jan 13, 2020:

http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/median-income-by-country/

I have lived in this country for a long time and yes this is an expensive country and salary is quite high. Median household income is 8th in the world. Check the stats above

Daniel P Goodman on Sep 17, 2019:

These comparions are so Western-centric they are basically worthless. For example, look at the groceries being compared:

- Milk
- White Bread
- Cheese
- Tomatos
- Bananas
- Beef

Sound like a typical Korean diet to you? Me neither... of course groceries for eating a Western diet will be more expensive in EAST ASIA.

And ₩2,388 for .5L of domestic beer at the grocery store? More like 1.5L for domestic at near that price.

Also, Seoul has the most expensive 1kg of Potatoes... in the world. Apparently. Seems like a dubious claim to me.

Maya on Aug 13, 2019:

#Kjelly what's your email!? I have some questions

Swede on Aug 11, 2019:

Are these numbers correct for rent? Seems very cheap!

veteran seoulite on Jul 22, 2019:

Seoul is far more expensive than these numbers indicate. 3,000won for an imported beer? Double that. 8,000won for an inexpensive meal??? Where? Kimbab-nara? Come on, now. Even the average Hongdae burger joint is charging 12-18,000 for a burger and fries these days and that is far from fine dining. Unless you're living like a beggar, you won't come anywhere near these low consumer prices. The reality is Seoul is very expensive by world standards and if you want to live comfortably, you will need a bare minimum of 4,000,000 won/month just to stay out of debt.

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