Cost of Living in Seoul
Summary of cost of living in Seoul, South Korea:
- A family of four estimated monthly costs are 4,140.9$ (5,594,375.2₩) without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person estimated monthly costs are 1,140.9$ (1,541,377.3₩) without rent.
- Seoul is 27.3% less expensive than New York (without rent, see our cost of living index).
- Rent in Seoul is, on average, 70.2% lower than in New York.
Restaurants |  Edit |
Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 7.40 $ | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 48.11 $ | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 5.92 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 3.70 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 4.44 $ | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 3.81 $ | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 1.51 $ | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 0.74 $ | |
Markets | Edit |
|
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 8.08 $ | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 2.77 $ | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 1.60 $ | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 3.95 $ | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 5.63 $ | |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 4.49 $ | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 18.49 $ | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 2.95 $ | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 1.67 $ | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 2.72 $ | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 2.73 $ | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 1.97 $ | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 1.40 $ | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 2.36 $ | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1.06 $ | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 16.28 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 2.42 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 2.78 $ | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 3.33 $ | |
Transportation | Edit |
|
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 0.96 $ | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 42.56 $ | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.55 $ | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 1.19 $ | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 8.88 $ | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 5.19 $ | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 28,027.51 $ | |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 25,273.30 $ | |
Utilities (Monthly) | Edit |
|
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 177.72 $ | |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 47.86 $ | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 23.49 $ | |
Sports And Leisure | Edit |
|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 59.12 $ | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 16.58 $ | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 11.10 $ | |
Childcare | Edit |
|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 378.50 $ | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 19,540.91 $ | |
Clothing And Shoes | Edit |
|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 60.63 $ | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 45.81 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 78.55 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 123.60 $ | |
Rent Per Month | Edit |
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 784.85 $ | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 518.74 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 2,629.59 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,651.43 $ | |
Buy Apartment Price | Edit |
|
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 1,942.86 $ | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 1,082.17 $ | |
Salaries And Financing | Edit |
|
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 2,832.43 $ | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.47 |
Prices in Seoul
This city had 1904 entries in the past 12 months by 247 different contributors.
Last update: October 2023
Last update: October 2023
Sources and References
Moving to Seoul? Explore:
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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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
|
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
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
Contract period is usually 2years and you have right to extend once.
It is increased a lot for last a year
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.
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
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)
buger shop in Hongdae is not a ordinary korean restaurant.
for ordinary korean, 8k won is reasonable price for lunch at the seoul.
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
- 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.