Cost of living comparison

 Islamabad, Pakistan
compared to
 Seoul, South Korea
Seoul vs. Islamabad Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 3.6 times more expensive than Islamabad.

Restaurants
pay 3.4 times more in Seoul
Groceries
pay 5.2 times more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 2.7 times more in Seoul
Housing
pay 3.2 times more in Seoul
Childcare
pay 6.5 times more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more in Seoul
Clothing
pay 2.3 times more in Seoul

The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, housing, transportation, and clothing in Seoul are more expensive than in Islamabad. Notably, childcare, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Seoul.

Seoul vs. Islamabad Cost Breakdown

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

pay 3.4 times more for restaurants

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.79
PKR500.81
$7.88
₩11,196
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.30
PKR1,201.96
$6.09
₩8,652
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.35
PKR99.02
$1.59
₩2,255

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pay 5.2 times more for groceries

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
$0.68
PKR189.73
$3.10
₩4,399
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.96
PKR828.20
$6.52
₩9,272
Milk (1 gallon) $3.31
PKR927.15
$8.06
₩11,452

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pay 2.7 times more for transportation

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.81
PKR1,065.05
$4.59
₩6,521
Monthly public transit pass $6.80
PKR1,903.10
$44.40
₩63,107
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,479.46
PKR6,009,778.29
$27,023.07
₩38,404,776

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pay 3.2 times more for housing

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$18.16
PKR5,079.69
$22.27
₩31,655
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $174.15
PKR48,726.34
$883.18
₩1,255,161
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $99.01
PKR27,701.32
$490.54
₩697,147

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pay 6.5 times more for childcare

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $60.17
PKR16,835.08
$385.48
₩547,839
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,142.14
PKR879,144.71
$20,782.92
₩29,536,370

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.79
PKR500.81
$3.58
₩5,089
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.97
PKR550.42
$3.60
₩5,119
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.15
PKR600.98
$3.22
₩4,580

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pay 2.3 times more for clothing

 
Islamabad
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$19.06
PKR5,332.21
$59.13
₩84,031
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.18
PKR7,324.42
$46.64
₩66,290
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$83.29
PKR23,304.58
$86.69
₩123,207

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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: April 2025
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