Cost of living comparison
compared to
Seoul vs. Helsinki Cost of Living Summary
Seoul is 15.0% cheaper than Helsinki.
- Restaurants
-
pay 56.2% less in Seoul
- Groceries
-
pay 59.8% more in Seoul
- Transportation
-
pay 42.3% less in Seoul
- Housing
-
pay 18.2% less in Seoul
- Childcare
-
pay 21.8% more in Seoul
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.3% less in Seoul
- Clothing
-
pay 30.8% less in Seoul
The cost of groceries and childcare in Seoul are more expensive than in Helsinki. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing are lower in Seoul.
Seoul vs. Helsinki Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Seoul instead of Helsinki, you would:
pay 56.2% less for restaurants
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.52
€14.87
|
$8.49
₩12,271
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.85
€10.90
|
$6.30
₩9,101
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.33
€2.82
|
$1.64
₩2,368
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.74
€2.33
|
$0.78
₩1,128
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of restaurants
pay 59.8% more for groceries
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.59
€2.20
|
$3.24
₩4,679
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.00
€4.25
|
$6.79
₩9,817
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.19
€4.41
|
$7.85
₩11,341
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.67
€3.11
|
$2.93
₩4,237
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.74
€5.72
|
$4.67
₩6,746
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.28
€1.09
|
$3.45
₩4,979
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
€0.85
|
$1.52
₩2,203
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.24
€1.05
|
$2.35
₩3,399
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.06
€1.75
|
$2.77
₩4,007
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
€0.48
|
$1.62
₩2,340
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.79
€0.67
|
$1.30
₩1,875
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of groceries
pay 42.3% less for transportation
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.91
€6.72
|
$4.43
₩6,403
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$84.09
€71.38
|
$45.99
₩66,469
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,056.70
€31,453.28
|
$25,072.36
₩36M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.03
€17.00
|
$10.50
₩15,175
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of transportation
pay 18.2% less for housing
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$25.95
€22.02
|
$20.56
₩29,709
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,216.29
€1,032.38
|
$925.55
₩1M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$911.76
€773.89
|
$559.33
₩808K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$107.39
€91.16
|
$118.88
₩172K
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of housing
pay 21.8% more for childcare
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$437.97
€371.75
|
$360.15
₩521K
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,422.45
€11,392.81
|
$21,667.04
₩31M
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of childcare
pay 39.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.47
€7.19
|
$3.54
₩5,113
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
€4.41
|
$3.70
₩5,345
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.96
€11.00
|
$3.18
₩4,602
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.02
€42.46
|
$56.34
₩81,419
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$19.85
€16.85
|
$10.61
₩15,339
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.8% less for clothing
|
Helsinki
|
Seoul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$107.25
€91.03
|
$49.77
₩71,923
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.83
€37.20
|
$39.49
₩57,074
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$109.22
€92.71
|
$74.94
₩108K
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$138.09
€117.21
|
$99.06
₩143K
|
|
Helsinki vs. Seoul - Cost of clothing
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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