✦ Compare
Seoul vs
Stuttgart
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Seoul, KR vs Stuttgart, DE at a glance — Stuttgart, DE is 29% more expensive than Seoul, KR overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,150/mo versus $900/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Stuttgart, DE, you'd need
$97,018 / year
Stuttgart, DE is 29% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Stuttgart, DE vs Seoul, KR)
- Housing+33%
- Food & groceries+25%
- Transport+56%
- Utilities+60%
- Healthcare+46%
- Goods & services+12%
◎ How Seoul, KR and Stuttgart, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Seoul, KR | Stuttgart, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 84 | 109 |
| Housing | 90 | 120 |
| Food | 85 | 106 |
| Transport | 55 | 86 |
| Utilities | 80 | 128 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 95 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $900/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $650/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $12,000 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,189 | $919 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $45 | $100 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 24% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,500/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,500/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,563 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Moderate | High |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 78 | 70 |
| Healthcare index | 82 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 42 |
| Internet speed | 220 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 75 | 74 |
| Public transport | 92 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -2 °C | +1 °C |
| July avg | +25 °C | +20 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 110 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,400 mm | 680 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: South Korea vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
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
Good to know before you move to Stuttgart
Germany's car-industry heartland (Mercedes and Porsche are born here) — an affluent, hilly city ringed by vineyards with high wages and a strong engineering job market. Costs sit near the German top end, just below Munich, and housing is tight.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 70/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 20°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Mitte · West · Süd · Bad Cannstatt
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
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Plan your move to Stuttgart
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Seoul to Stuttgart: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Seoul to Stuttgart, your cost of living will be roughly 29% more expensive. Stuttgart’s cost-of-living index is 109 versus 84 for Seoul (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Seoul cheaper than Stuttgart?
Stuttgart is about 29% more expensive than Seoul overall — its cost-of-living index is 109 versus 84 for Seoul.
How much do you need to earn in Stuttgart to live like in Seoul?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Seoul is worth about $97,018 in Stuttgart. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Seoul or Stuttgart?
South Korea has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Seoul
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.