How much does it cost to live in Seoul?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,575 (₩2,142,741)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: nestpick.com, seoulhomes.kr
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $886 (₩1,205,005)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,918 (₩3,969,373)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Platforms aimed at short-stay foreigners (Nestpick, Seoul Homes, Blueground) let you skip Korea's traditional large-deposit 'jeonse'/'key money' system — you pay a low deposit plus monthly rent instead, which is far more nomad-friendly than a standard year-long lease.
- Watch for hidden housing costs on longer local listings: separate monthly maintenance/management fees and inflated deposits are a common complaint among foreign renters in Seoul — short-term furnished listings usually bundle these in, but always confirm before booking.
- Cooking at home only saves real money if you stick to local staples (rice, Korean vegetables, eggs, local produce) — imported cheese, cereal, beef, and Western snack items are noticeably marked up and can make a self-catered budget rival eating out.
- Itaewon is the most convenient area for English-speaking daily life and international groceries/halal food, but it commands a housing premium; Hongdae/Yeonnam-dong and outer Mapo-gu areas offer a cheaper, still well-connected alternative.
- Get a T-money card (or use the Climate Card) rather than paying cash single-fare tickets — it's cheaper per ride and gives free transfers between subway and bus.
- Seoul's coworking scene is genuinely dense, with Gangnam and Seongsu-dong standing out as the most concentrated hubs for hot-desking and freelancer-friendly spaces.
- The F-1-D digital nomad visa has a real income bar (well above what many freelancers earn) — it's aimed at established remote professionals, not a low-cost backpacker route.
- Mobile, gym, cinema and basic healthcare figures here are informed estimates, not pulled at the time of research — expect some local variation.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- ₩2,142,741
Includes 4 estimated components
- Lean month
- ₩1,205,005
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- ₩3,969,373
Includes 5 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- No single 'official' nomad enclave, but expats/digital nomads consistently cluster in Itaewon and neighboring Haebangchon/Hannam (Yongsan-gu, most international, English-friendly), Hongdae/Yeonnam-dong/Sinchon (Mapo-gu, younger, cafe-heavy, more affordable), and Gangnam/Seocho (upscale, business/coworking-dense but pricier). Housing figures below reflect listings and pricing pages covering these areas.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- ₩1,000,000
Operator's own price
Seoul Homes (short-term rental operator/platform) states furnished short-term rentals in Seoul start around ₩1,000,000/month, with inventory clustered near Hongdae, Sinchon, Gangnam and Yeoksam.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- ₩716,000
Local listing
Nestpick furnished apartment platform states its Seoul listings start from ₩716,000 per month.
- Premium apartment
- ₩2,500,000
Estimated
Top of the range stated by Homessignature for furnished Gangnam studio apartments (₩1,200,000–2,500,000/month); since this is the upper bound of a stated range rather than one specific listing price, basis is marked estimated.
- Private room in a shared home
- ₩650,000
Estimated
No single live listing for a shared-house private room surfaced in search; figure is an estimate based on general co-living/share-house price positioning below full studio rents in the Hongdae/Sinchon area.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- ₩394,505
Survey / cost-of-living site
Holafly's 2026 South Korea cost-of-living guide states a single person should budget around $290/month for groceries.
Published in USD
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- ₩2,920
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog citing Numbeo's 2026 South Korea food price data: 1L milk ₩2,920.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- ₩4,223
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog citing Numbeo's 2026 South Korea food price data: dozen eggs ₩4,223.
1kg Chicken Fillets
- 1kg Chicken Fillets
- ₩11,612
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog citing Numbeo's 2026 South Korea food price data: 1kg chicken fillets ₩11,612.
1kg Beef
- 1kg Beef
- ₩33,676
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog citing Numbeo's 2026 South Korea food price data: 1kg beef ₩33,676.
1kg Apples
- 1kg Apples
- ₩11,044
Survey / cost-of-living site
Blog citing Numbeo's 2026 South Korea food price data: 1kg apples ₩11,044.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- ₩7,500
Estimated
Hikersbay Seoul price data: a meal in a cheap restaurant costs about ₩10,000. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 10000 KRW reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- ₩66,658
Survey / cost-of-living site
World-Prices (Hikersbay-sourced) Seoul data: a three-course restaurant meal costs around $49.
Published in USD
- Mid-range meal
- ₩22,956
Estimated
Midpoint of Holafly's stated $15-30 per-person range for a mid-range restaurant meal in South Korea. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 30608 KRW reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Published in USD
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- ₩20,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Coworking guide for Seoul states average daily coworking passes cost ₩20,000, with a typical range of ₩15,000–₩30,000 across spaces like WeWork and FASTFIVE.
- Monthly hot desk
- ₩350,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Same guide states monthly hot desks start around ₩350,000 for entry-level Seoul spaces.
Transport
- Single ride
- ₩1,550
Survey / cost-of-living site
Guide states the subway base fare is ₩1,550 with a T-money card (₩1,650 for a single-use paper ticket), covering the first 10km.
- Monthly pass
- ₩65,000
Survey / cost-of-living site
Seoul transit guide states the Climate Card is a ₩65,000 monthly pass for unlimited use of subways, buses, and bikes.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- ₩33,000
Estimated
No single current source retrieved at the time of research; estimate based on typical prepaid unlimited-data SIM/eSIM plans from Korean carriers (KT/SKT/LG U+) commonly marketed to foreign residents.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Cherry blossom season (late March–early April) and autumn foliage season (late October–early November) drive sustained, material pricing swings of 50–100%+ above baseline; additionally, Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays create short-term spikes. High season rates reach 1.5–2x low-season rates.
Low season
- Budget
- ₩75,000
2-star hotel baseline (Budget Your Trip $36); January KAYAK shows $152 avg, budget tier ~$40-60
- Luxury
- ₩235,000
5-star hotel February low (KAYAK: $189 avg in February); HaniSeoul 2026 baseline luxury tier ₩350,000+ peak translates to ~₩200-250k low
- Premium
- ₩165,000
4-star hotel low season (Budget Your Trip $74 baseline; KAYAK February/August data shows ~50% discount from peak)
- Standard
- ₩110,000
3-star hotel low season (Budget Your Trip baseline $43; Roamless reports 40,000-90,000 KRW low-season average)
High season
- Budget
- ₩150,000
2-star hotel average during April peak (KAYAK Seoul seasonal data shows April at $507 avg, with budget tier ~$120-150)
- Luxury
- ₩625,000
5-star hotel March peak at $676 (KAYAK March 5-star rate); April 2024 HaniSeoul guide stated ₩350,000–₩600,000+ for peak season 5-star
- Premium
- ₩325,000
4-star hotel during cherry blossom/autumn peak (Budget Your Trip avg $74, high season multiplier 3-3.5x)
- Standard
- ₩225,000
3-star hotel average during high season (Budget Your Trip reports $43 baseline, high season 1.5-2x markup)
Low-season months
- January
- February
- July
- August
High-season months
- March
- April
- May
- October
- November
- December
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Seoul
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.