Cost of Living in Seoul, 🇰🇷 South Korea - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 16 14 15 17 1 $1,128 $715 $1,295 $655 $113

Utilities 38 — $102 $133 $66 —

Internet & Mobile 18 8 1 $68 $68 $108 $68 $4

Groceries 5 7 1 $243 $319 $864 $226 $9

Transportation 10 11 12 $88 $96 $219 $77 $10

Dining Out 4 27 1 $677 $338 $519 $95 $27

Leisure Activities 21 20 1 17 $122 $84 $4,172 $67 $17

Health Insurance 22 26 $63 $150 $451 $113 $2

Visa & Legal Fees 9 $8 $15 $30 — $1

Total $2,397 $1,887 $7,791 $1,367 $183

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 16 1 $654.76 $451 – $903 per month

Coworking Space 13 $198.20 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 14 15 17 $1,128.25 $828 – $2,144 per month

Coliving Space 27 1 $413.69 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 28 $3.54 per cup

Beer 27 1 $3.01 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 27 1 $6.02 per meal

Fast Food Combo 4 19 $5.72 per meal

Apples 7 $9.15 per kg

Bread 30 $3.09 per loaf

Milk 29 $2.23 per liter

Rice 5 $2.40 per kg

Chicken Fillets 31 $4.44 per kg

Beef 32 $21.93 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 33 $22.41 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 39 $74.76 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 5 1 $0.75 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 10 $3.61 per trip

Taxi per km 10 $0.57 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 11 12 $46.63 per month

Gasoline 3 2 $1.40 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 10 $5.56 per trip

Scooter Rental 11 $33.85 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 8 1 $39.39 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 18 $28.96 per month

Gym Membership 21 $44.75 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 34 $3.91 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 8 $26.33 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 20 $11.28 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 35 $45.05 per pair

Summer Dress 36 $30.01 per dress

Running Shoes 37 $71.47 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 24 $9.95 per visit

Laundry 25 $0.85 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 23 26 $22.56 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 23 1 $6.02 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 1,329.49 KRW on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Tokyo, London, Singapore, Bangkok

Numbeo Seoul cross-check (rent, utilities, mid-range meals)Index
South Korea gasoline KRW 1,609.05/L, 19 Oct 2026Index
Korea Price Information regular gasoline KRW 1,856/LOfficial
KPI fast-food menu prices (McDonald's Big Mac set KRW 7,600)Official
KAMIS Seoul retail rice 20 kg KRW 63,787 (2026-10-23)Official
KAMIS livestock retail beef reference (Seoul)Official
KAMIS-derived Seoul apples Hongro 10 pcs KRW 21,888Secondary
LG U+ tourist data SIM/eSIM tiers (VAT included)Official
K-ETA application fee KRW 10,000Official
Seoul standard taxi fare table (revised 14 Oct 2026)Official
Climate Pass flat-rate KRW 62,000 (Seoul SMG FAQ)Official
Climate Card Plus KRW 62,000 flat-rate launch noticeOfficial
WeWork Seoul membership from ₩263,500/mo (12-month)Listings
Mapo furnished 1.5-room ₩1.1M/monthListings
Seongbuk furnished 1BR ₩950,000/month (3+ months)Listings
Changcheon one-room ₩800,000 rent + ₩70,000 fees/monthListings
Weave Place Gangnam 1BR from ₩2.85M/month (3+ months)Listings
KT internet Essence 1Gbps ₩38,500/mo (3-year, VAT in)Official
McDonald's Korea Big Mac set menu pageOfficial
Seoul cinema 2D weekend KRW 15,000 (CGV/Megabox tables)Secondary
Anytime Fitness branch subscription from ₩59,500/moListings
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Korea clinic consultation fees 2026 (NHIS schedule)Secondary
Seoul mens haircut local ₩10k–20kSecondary
Seoul coin laundry wash+dry ₩5k–8k per loadSecondary
NHIS premium and uninsured visit cost bandsSecondary
Seoul coliving/goshiwon rent bandsSecondary
Starbucks Korea tall Americano ₩4,700 (Jan 2026)Secondary
KAMIS national retail white milk ₩2,966/L (2026-10-25)Secondary
Paris Baguette 상미종 생식빵 RRP ₩4,100 (Aug 2026)Secondary
EKape 육계 retail ₩5,897/kg (2026-10-24)Official
Costco AU chuck-eye stew ₩2,916/100g → per kgListings
Emart Wine Market Annabella Napa Cabernet ₩29,800/bottleSecondary
Jangchung Tennis weekend ₩10,400 per 2 hoursOfficial
Uniqlo Korea straight jeans ₩59,900Official
TOPTEN textured summer dress ₩39,900Listings
Nike running shoes campaign from ₩95,040Listings
KEPCO residential low-voltage tier rates (KRW/kWh)Official
VIPS salad bar weekend adult ₩49,700 per personSecondary
Emart24 COMO California wine 750ml ₩15,900Secondary

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1865.62 1128.25
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 832.87 654.76
- Apples 8 9.15
- Beef 29.98 21.93
- Beer 4 3.01
40 more changes
- Bread 2.8 3.09
- Chicken Fillets 10.99 4.44
- Cinema Ticket 9.99 11.28
- Coffee 3.66 3.54
- Coliving Space 732.92 413.69
- Coworking Space 233.2 198.2
- Dining Out local 146.58, nomad 732.92, expat 366.46, family 599.66, tourist 43.31 local 95.18, nomad 676.95, expat 338.48, family 519.23, tourist 27.08
- Doctor Visit (GP) 9.99 22.56
- Fast Food Combo 6.33 5.72
- Gasoline 1.17 1.4
- Groceries local 233.2, nomad 133.26, expat 366.46, family 799.55, tourist 5.33 local 226.11, nomad 243.07, expat 318.82, family 863.74, tourist 8.5
- Gym Membership 56.63 44.75
- Haircut 16.66 9.95
- Health Insurance local 96.61, nomad 56.63, expat 106.61, family 279.84, tourist 0 local 112.83, nomad 62.72, expat 150.43, family 451.3, tourist 2.09
- Housing local 366.46, nomad 1232.64, expat 732.92, family 1865.62, tourist 79.96 local 654.76, nomad 1128.25, expat 714.56, family 1294.8, tourist 112.83
- Internet & Mobile local 29.98, nomad 63.3, expat 49.97, family 99.94, tourist 3 local 68.35, family 108.17, tourist 3.76
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 26.65 28.96
- Jeans 49.97 45.05
- Laundry 9.99 0.85
- Leisure Activities local 66.63, nomad 299.83, expat 199.89, family 399.78, tourist 16.66 local 67.31, nomad 122.33, expat 83.54, family 4172.27, tourist 16.94
- Meal (Inexpensive) 6.66 6.02
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 46.64 74.76
- Milk 2.07 2.23
- Mobile Plan 41.31 39.39
- Monthly Transport Pass 43.31 46.63
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 4 6.02
- Rice 3.2 2.4
- Ride-hailing (5km) 6.33 5.56
- Running Shoes 83.29 71.47
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 25.32 26.33
- Scooter Rental 5.33 33.85
- Summer Dress 39.98 30.01
- Taxi Start 3.2 3.61
- Taxi per km 0.73 0.57
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 23.32 3.91
- Transportation local 69.96, nomad 93.28, expat 106.61, family 299.83, tourist 9.99 local 76.72, nomad 88, expat 96.28, family 218.88, tourist 9.5
- Utilities local 79.96, nomad 99.94, expat 119.93, family 233.2, tourist 0 local 66.01, nomad 0, expat 102.14, family 132.78, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 8.66, expat 23.32, family 79.96 local 0, nomad 7.52, expat 15.04, family 30.08, tourist 0.83
- Water (1.5L bottle) 1.07 0.75
- Wine (Mid-range) 16.66 22.41
Coworking Space, Taxi per km, Tennis Court (Weekend), Jeans, Summer Dress, Running Shoes, Utilities (local, expat, family), Dining Out (local), Health Insurance (local), Visa & Legal Fees (expat), Meal (Mid-range, 2 people), Scooter Rental, Haircut, Doctor Visit (GP), Pharmacy (basic meds), Coffee, Milk, Bread, Chicken Fillets, Beef, and Wine (Mid-range) moved to operator/listing/official sources (wework.com, news.seoul.go.kr, sports.seoul.go.kr, uniqlo.com, musinsa.com, musinsa.com, home.kepco.co.kr, gilpost.com, koreaherald.com, ekapepia.com, costco.co.kr, asiae.co.kr)

Seoul cost of living