Cost of living comparison
Traverse City vs. Seoul Cost of Living Summary
Traverse City is 22.6% more expensive than Seoul.
- Restaurants
-
pay 99.4% more in Traverse City
- Groceries
-
pay 18.7% less in Traverse City
- Transportation
-
pay 18.4% less in Traverse City
- Housing
-
pay 86.5% more in Traverse City
- Childcare
-
pay 48.7% less in Traverse City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% more in Traverse City
- Clothing
-
pay 18.8% more in Traverse City
The cost of restaurants, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Traverse City are more expensive than in Seoul. Expenses including childcare, groceries, and transportation are lower in Traverse City. Notably, restaurants and housing are significantly more expensive in Traverse City.
Traverse City vs. Seoul Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Traverse City instead of Seoul, you would:
pay 99.4% more for restaurants
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.96
₩11,943
|
$21.60
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.46
₩9,953
|
$11.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
₩2,110
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.79
₩1,048
|
$2.14
|
|
pay 18.7% less for groceries
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.10
₩4,130
|
$2.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.84
₩11,786
|
$9.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.79
₩10,392
|
$2.82
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.61
₩4,808
|
$2.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.74
₩6,322
|
$7.46
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.46
₩4,619
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.57
₩2,089
|
$0.60
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.59
₩3,458
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.83
₩3,778
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.66
₩2,209
|
$1.21
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.16
₩1,540
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 18.4% less for transportation
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.53
₩7,377
|
$3.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.28
₩61,706
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,385.60
₩39M
|
$35,866.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.51
₩11,346
|
?? | |
pay 86.5% more for housing
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$20.82
₩27,759
|
$67.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$886.39
₩1M
|
$1,983.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$620.25
₩827K
|
$1,418.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$162.69
₩217K
|
$90.12
|
|
pay 48.7% less for childcare
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,927.59
₩3M
|
$1,030.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,602.27
₩30M
|
$11,136.00
|
|
pay 13.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.73
₩4,976
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.10
₩5,468
|
$4.67
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
₩4,479
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.22
₩77,630
|
$63.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.20
₩14,929
|
$9.50
|
|
pay 18.8% more for clothing
|
Seoul
|
Traverse City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.88
₩77,178
|
$59.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.77
₩43,700
|
$41.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$69.99
₩93,325
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$82.45
₩110K
|
$86.67
|
|
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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