Cost of living comparison

 Manila, Philippines
compared to
 Seoul, South Korea
Seoul vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 66.1% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 62.4% more in Seoul
Groceries
pay 72.3% more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 2.4 times more in Seoul
Housing
pay 50.1% more in Seoul
Childcare
pay 13.5% more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 54.7% more in Seoul
Clothing
pay 68.8% more in Seoul

The cost of transportation, groceries, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing in Seoul are more expensive than in Manila. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Seoul.

Seoul vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

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

pay 62.4% more for restaurants

 
Manila
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.12
₱288.94
$7.88
₩10,865
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.26
₱240.79
$6.09
₩8,396
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
₱49.31
$1.59
₩2,188

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pay 72.3% more for groceries

 
Manila
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
$1.35
₱76.36
$3.10
₩4,269
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
₱299.58
$6.52
₩8,998
Milk (1 gallon) $6.79
₱383.72
$8.06
₩11,114

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pay 2.4 times more for transportation

 
Manila
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.14
₱233.93
$4.59
₩6,328
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
₱560.83
$44.40
₩61,241
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,575.45
₱1,444,718.49
$27,023.07
₩37,269,131

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pay 50.1% more for housing

 
Manila
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.80
₱1,627.15
$22.27
₩30,719
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $468.88
₱26,486.46
$883.18
₩1,218,045
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $234.44
₱13,243.25
$490.54
₩676,532

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pay 13.5% more for childcare

 
Manila
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $482.52
₱27,257.02
$385.48
₩531,639
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.39
₱798,034.98
$20,782.92
₩28,662,968

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pay 54.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.36
₱77.05
$3.58
₩4,939
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.70
₱152.35
$3.60
₩4,968
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.07
₱173.37
$3.22
₩4,445

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pay 68.8% more for clothing

 
Manila
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$33.31
₱1,881.76
$59.13
₩81,546
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.60
₱1,502.41
$46.64
₩64,330
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$74.03
₱4,181.58
$86.69
₩119,564

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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: July 2025
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