Cost of living comparison

compared to

Seoul vs. Asmara Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 3.9 times more expensive than Asmara.

Restaurants
pay 3.7% less in Seoul
Groceries
pay 2.4 times more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 2.2 times more in Seoul
Housing
pay 2.3 times more in Seoul
Childcare
pay 13.7 times more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.2 times more in Seoul
Clothing
pay 36.3% less in Seoul

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, and transportation in Seoul are more expensive than in Asmara. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in Seoul. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Seoul.

Seoul vs. Asmara Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of Asmara, you would:

pay 3.7% less for restaurants

 
Asmara
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $12.00
ERN180.00
$8.49
₩12,318
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.99
ERN89.85
$6.30
₩9,136
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.25
ERN18.75
$1.64
₩2,378

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pay 2.4 times more for groceries

 
Asmara
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
?? $3.24
₩4,697
Local cheese (8 oz) $1.50
ERN22.50
$6.79
₩9,855
Milk (1 gallon) $5.30
ERN79.49
$7.85
₩11,385

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pay 2.2 times more for transportation

 
Asmara
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.52
ERN127.76
$4.43
₩6,428
Monthly public transit pass $8.00
ERN120.00
$45.99
₩66,724
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $66,666.00
ERN1000K
$25,072.36
₩36M

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pay 2.3 times more for housing

 
Asmara
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$200.00
ERN3,000.00
$20.56
₩29,823
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $475.00
ERN7,125.00
$925.55
₩1M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $400.00
ERN6,000.00
$559.33
₩811K

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pay 13.7 times more for childcare

 
Asmara
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $25.00
ERN375.00
$360.15
₩522K
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $1,675.00
ERN25,125.00
$21,667.04
₩31M

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pay 5.2 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Asmara
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.80
ERN12.00
$3.54
₩5,133
Cappuccino in mid-range area $0.82
ERN12.38
$3.70
₩5,365
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $3.18
₩4,619

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pay 36.3% less for clothing

 
Asmara
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$82.50
ERN1,237.50
$49.77
₩72,199
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$75.00
ERN1,125.00
$39.49
₩57,293
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$200.00
ERN3,000.00
$74.94
₩109K

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2026
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