✦ Compare
Istanbul vs
Seoul
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Istanbul, TR vs Seoul, KR at a glance — Seoul, KR is 56% more expensive than Istanbul, TR overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $650/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Seoul, KR, you'd need
$116,784 / year
Seoul, KR is 56% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Seoul, KR vs Istanbul, TR)
- Housing+64%
- Food & groceries+63%
- Transport+38%
- Utilities+33%
- Healthcare+44%
- Goods & services+58%
◎ How Istanbul, TR and Seoul, KR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Istanbul, TR | Seoul, KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 54 | 84 |
| Housing | 55 | 90 |
| Food | 52 | 85 |
| Transport | 40 | 55 |
| Utilities | 60 | 80 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 60 | 95 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $650/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $400/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,500 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,852 | $1,189 |
| Inexpensive meal | $6 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $30 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 15% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 24% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $700/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $61,259✓ |
| Minimum wage | $720/mo✓ | $1,500/mo |
| GDP per capita | $15,666✓ | $35,563✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 44%✓ | 2.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 63 | 73 |
| Safety index | 58 | 78 |
| Healthcare index | 65 | 82 |
| Pollution index | 62 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 60 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 70 | 75 |
| Public transport | 72 | 92 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 68 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 78 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 190 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 810 mm | 1,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Turkey vs South Korea. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Istanbul vs Seoul — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Istanbul
The only megacity straddling two continents — 15 million people where Europe meets Asia. Big-city energy, deep history and world-class food at a fraction of Western-European prices, offset by a volatile lira and long cross-Bosphorus commutes.
- Currency
- Turkish lira (₺ TRY)
- Languages
- Turkish
- Time zone
- UTC+3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 24°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kadıköy · Beşiktaş · Cihangir · Şişli
Good to know before you move to Seoul
A hyper-modern megacity with the world's best transit and internet, K-culture everywhere and remarkable safety. The costs are Western-tier, the work culture intense and the jeonse deposits huge — but a new workation visa is opening the door to nomads.
- Currency
- South Korean won (₩ KRW)
- Languages
- Korean
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 78/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Gangnam · Itaewon · Hongdae · Seongsu
Plan your move to Istanbul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- MoreAvitoVIP
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Plan your move to Seoul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Istanbul to Seoul: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Istanbul to Seoul, your cost of living will be roughly 56% more expensive. Seoul’s cost-of-living index is 84 versus 54 for Istanbul (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Istanbul cheaper than Seoul?
Seoul is about 56% more expensive than Istanbul overall — its cost-of-living index is 84 versus 54 for Istanbul.
Which is more expensive, Istanbul or Seoul?
Seoul is more expensive than Istanbul. Its cost-of-living index is 84 vs 54 (US = 100) — about 56% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Istanbul or Seoul?
Rent is cheaper in Istanbul — about $650/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $900 in Seoul.
How much do you need to earn in Seoul to live like in Istanbul?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Istanbul is worth about $116,784 in Seoul. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Istanbul or Seoul?
Turkey has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in South Korea.
◷ More comparisons from Istanbul
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.