Seoul vs. Providence Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 33.9% cheaper than Providence.

Restaurants
pay 49.1% less in Seoul
Groceries
pay 19.0% more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 11.3% less in Seoul
Housing
pay 62.6% less in Seoul
Childcare
pay 31.0% more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.1% less in Seoul
Clothing
pay 10.2% less in Seoul

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

Seoul vs. Providence Cost Breakdown

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

pay 49.1% less for restaurants

 
Providence
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.00
 
$8.96
₩11,943
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.50
 
$7.46
₩9,953
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.90
 
$1.58
₩2,110

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pay 19.0% more for groceries

 
Providence
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
$3.27
 
$3.10
₩4,130
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.64
 
$8.84
₩11,786
Milk (1 gallon) $3.94
 
$7.79
₩10,392

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pay 11.3% less for transportation

 
Providence
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.03
 
$5.53
₩7,377
Monthly public transit pass $70.00
 
$46.28
₩61,706
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,344.34
 
$29,385.60
₩39M

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pay 62.6% less for housing

 
Providence
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$85.00
 
$20.82
₩27,759
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,427.50
 
$886.39
₩1M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,903.33
 
$620.25
₩827K

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pay 31.0% more for childcare

 
Providence
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,493.75
 
$1,927.59
₩3M
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $17,000.00
 
$22,602.27
₩30M

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pay 27.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Providence
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.00
 
$3.73
₩4,976
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.47
 
$4.10
₩5,468
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.43
 
$3.36
₩4,479

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pay 10.2% less for clothing

 
Providence
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$54.80
 
$57.88
₩77,178
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$38.33
 
$32.77
₩43,700
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$80.00
 
$69.99
₩93,325

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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