Cost of living comparison

compared to

Seoul vs. Incheon Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 33.7% more expensive than Incheon.

Restaurants: pay 23.3% more in Seoul
Groceries: pay 25.4% more in Seoul
Transportation: pay 38.1% more in Seoul
Housing: pay 41.7% more in Seoul
Childcare: pay 70.0% more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports: pay 31.2% more in Seoul
Clothing: pay 6.3% more in Seoul

The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Seoul are more expensive than in Incheon.

Seoul vs. Incheon Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 23.3% more for restaurants

	Incheon	Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.72 ₩9,912	$8.49 ₩12,520	+26.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.30 ₩9,286	$6.30 ₩9,286
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.32 ₩1,941	$1.64 ₩2,416	+24.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.66 ₩967	$0.78 ₩1,151	+19.1%
Average			+23.3%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of restaurants

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pay 25.4% more for groceries

	Incheon	Seoul
Bread 1 loaf	$2.95 ₩4,347	$3.24 ₩4,774	+9.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.79 ₩10,016	$6.79 ₩10,016
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.85 ₩11,571	$7.85 ₩11,571
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.93 ₩4,323	$2.93 ₩4,323
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.94 ₩4,338	$4.67 ₩6,883	+58.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$3.26 ₩4,811	$3.45 ₩5,080	+5.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.28 ₩1,893	$1.52 ₩2,247	+18.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.35 ₩3,467	$2.35 ₩3,467
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.77 ₩4,088	$2.77 ₩4,088
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.50 ₩2,208	$1.62 ₩2,388	+8.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.86 ₩1,262	$1.30 ₩1,913	+51.6%
Average			+25.4%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of groceries

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pay 38.1% more for transportation

	Incheon	Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.43 ₩6,528	$4.43 ₩6,533	+0.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$24.79 ₩36,552	$45.99 ₩67,816	+85.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,072.36 ₩36,969,950	$25,072.36 ₩36,969,950
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$8.16 ₩12,026	$10.50 ₩15,483	+28.7%
Average			+38.1%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of transportation

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pay 41.7% more for housing

	Incheon	Seoul
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$19.81 ₩29,213	$20.56 ₩30,311	+3.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$539.51 ₩795,529	$925.55 ₩1,364,758	+71.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$373.33 ₩550,492	$559.33 ₩824,748	+49.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$118.88 ₩175,294	$118.88 ₩175,294
Average			+41.7%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of housing

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pay 70.0% more for childcare

	Incheon	Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$254.87 ₩375,807	$360.15 ₩531,049	+41.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,906.99 ₩16,082,687	$21,667.04 ₩31,948,695	+98.7%
Average			+70.0%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of childcare

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pay 31.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Incheon	Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.17 ₩4,679	$3.54 ₩5,217	+11.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.48 ₩5,130	$3.70 ₩5,453	+6.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.18 ₩4,695	$3.18 ₩4,695
Monthly membership at local gym	$32.02 ₩47,221	$56.34 ₩83,069	+75.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.61 ₩15,650	$10.61 ₩15,650
Average			+31.2%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 6.3% more for clothing

	Incheon	Seoul
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.77 ₩73,380	$49.77 ₩73,380
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$39.49 ₩58,230	$39.49 ₩58,230
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$70.50 ₩103,955	$74.94 ₩110,505	+6.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$99.06 ₩146,064	$99.06 ₩146,064
Average			+6.3%

Incheon vs. Seoul - Cost of clothing

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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: December 2025

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