✦ Compare
Nagoya 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.
Nagoya, JP vs Seoul, KR at a glance — Seoul, KR is 9% cheaper than Nagoya, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $750/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Seoul, KR, you'd need
$68,315 / year
Seoul, KR is 9% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Seoul, KR vs Nagoya, JP)
- Housing+10%
- Food & groceries-11%
- Transport-31%
- Utilities-27%
- Healthcare-24%
- Goods & services-8%
◎ How Nagoya, JP and Seoul, KR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Nagoya, JP | Seoul, KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 92 | 84 |
| Housing | 82 | 90 |
| Food | 96 | 85 |
| Transport | 80 | 55 |
| Utilities | 110 | 80 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 103 | 95 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $750/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $540/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,083 | $1,189 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 24% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $1,500/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 | $35,563 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2% | 2.3% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 20 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 82 | 78 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 82 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 76 | 75 |
| Public transport | 84 | 92 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,500 mm | 1,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs South Korea. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Nagoya
Japan's industrial powerhouse (Toyota's home turf) and an underrated, spacious city between Tokyo and Osaka. It keeps Japan's safety, transit and reliability while running noticeably cheaper than either megacity.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sakae · Osu · Meieki · Kanayama
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 Nagoya
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Seoul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Nagoya to Seoul: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Nagoya to Seoul, your cost of living will be roughly 9% cheaper. Seoul’s cost-of-living index is 84 versus 92 for Nagoya (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Nagoya cheaper than Seoul?
Seoul is about 9% cheaper than Nagoya overall — its cost-of-living index is 84 versus 92 for Nagoya.
How much do you need to earn in Seoul to live like in Nagoya?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Nagoya is worth about $68,315 in Seoul. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Nagoya or Seoul?
Japan has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in South Korea.
◷ More comparisons from Nagoya
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.