One US$100 bill becomes about ₩134,000 in Seoul. That is enough for a full day: subway rides, a palace, a Starbucks americano, lunch, a city view from N Seoul Tower and a Korean BBQ dinner, with roughly $36 still in your pocket. Below we compare the same everyday items across Seoul, New York, London, Sydney, Singapore and Mumbai. Then we spend that $100 in Seoul, one item at a time, using published 2026 prices.
At a Glance
- $100 = about ₩134,149 (European Central Bank reference rate, 9 October 2026). Rates move every day.
- Getting around Seoul is cheap: a subway ride costs ₩1,550 (about $1.16), less than half the base fare in New York, London or Sydney.
- Fast food and basic beauty items are cheap, too: a Big Mac costs about $4.25, and a single Daiso sheet mask costs ₩500.
- Coffee and fruit are the surprises: a café drink costs about half as much as a cheap meal, and apples cost more per kilo than in the other five cities.
- Our sample day came to ₩85,359 (about $63.63), leaving roughly ₩48,790 (about $36) for snacks, shopping or a taxi.
First, How Much Is $100 in Korean Won?
We used the euro reference rates the European Central Bank published on 9 October 2026. They work out to US$1 = ₩1,341. So $100 = ₩134,149.
Your real number will be a little lower. Banks, exchange booths and card companies all add a margin, which is a small fee built into the rate they give you. If you want to compare ways to change money, our guide to paying, ATMs and money exchange in Korea covers it step by step.
The same ECB rates give US$1 = £0.756, A$1.432, S$1.280 and ₹96.73. We used them to convert every price in the table below to dollars.
Same Basket, Six Cities: The Price Table
We picked items a visitor actually buys. Some prices come from official fare tables and are exact. Others are typical prices that people report, so they vary from shop to shop. The "Type" column tells you which kind each row is.
| Item | Type | Seoul | New York | London | Sydney | Singapore | Mumbai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base metro fare, adult, card | Official fare | ₩1,550 $1.16 | $3.00 $3.00 | £3.00 off-peak $3.97 | A$4.33 peak $3.02 | S$1.28 $1.00 | ₹10 $0.10 |
| Big Mac | Official index (national average, Jul 2026) | ₩5,700 $4.25 | $6.22 $6.22 | £5.49 $7.26 | A$8.50 $5.93 | S$7.45 $5.82 | ₹236.25* $2.44 |
| Cappuccino, regular | Typical, crowdsourced (varies) | ₩5,494 $4.10 | $6.50 $6.50 | £4.25 $5.62 | A$5.71 $3.99 | S$6.64 $5.19 | ₹258 $2.66 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | Typical, crowdsourced (varies) | ₩12,000 $8.95 | $26.50 $26.50 | £20.00 $26.44 | A$25.00 $17.45 | S$15.00 $11.72 | ₹500 $5.17 |
| Apples, per kg | Typical, crowdsourced (varies) | ₩10,232 $7.63 | $6.86 $6.86 | £2.34 $3.09 | A$5.71 $3.99 | S$5.75 $4.49 | ₹210 $2.17 |
| Sheet mask (single) | Store price | ₩500 at Daiso $0.37 | No comparable published price, so not compared | ||||
*India's Big Mac Index uses the Maharaja Mac (a chicken burger). Metro fares: Seoul for the first 10 km; New York flat fare; London a Zone 1 Tube trip (£3.10 at peak = $4.10); Sydney a train trip up to 10 km at peak (A$3.03 off-peak = $2.12); Singapore a trip up to 3.2 km (rising to S$1.40 from 26 December 2026); Mumbai the minimum fare on Metro Line 1. Crowdsourced rows are Numbeo city averages checked on 11 October 2026; they show what people typically pay, not a fixed price. Apple prices were converted from per-pound figures.
Tap the chart to open the full-size version. Chart: Korea Insight Now, using only the official figures above.
How to read this table
Look at where Seoul sits in each row. On transport and fast food it is clearly cheaper than New York, London, Sydney and Singapore. Only Mumbai is cheaper.
A simple restaurant meal shows the same pattern. About $9 in Seoul against about $26 in New York or London is a big gap, and it adds up over a week.
Coffee is where things change. Seoul's cappuccino is cheaper than New York's in dollars, but look at it next to food. In Seoul a cappuccino costs almost half of a cheap meal (₩5,494 against ₩12,000). In New York it is about a quarter. In other words, food is cheap in Seoul and coffee is not.
A Day in Seoul on $100: Morning to Night
Here is a realistic first day in central Seoul. Every price comes from an official fare table, an official ticket page, a brand's published price or the Korea Consumer Agency's monthly average for Seoul restaurants. The running total shows how much of your ₩134,149 is gone after each stop.
| Time | What you buy | Price | Running total | Left from $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | T-money transit card at a convenience store (basic card) | ₩3,000 ($2.24) | ₩3,000 | ₩131,149 |
| All day | 4 subway rides, each within 10 km | 4 × ₩1,550 = ₩6,200 ($4.62) | ₩9,200 | ₩124,949 |
| 9:00 | Breakfast: a roll of gimbap (김밥, rice and fillings rolled in seaweed) | ₩3,869 ($2.88) | ₩13,069 | ₩121,080 |
| 9:30 | Starbucks Korea tall Caffè Americano | ₩4,700 ($3.50) | ₩17,769 | ₩116,380 |
| 10:00 | Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) adult ticket | ₩3,000 ($2.24) | ₩20,769 | ₩113,380 |
| 12:30 | Lunch: bibimbap (비빔밥, rice bowl with vegetables) | ₩11,769 ($8.77) | ₩32,538 | ₩101,611 |
| 14:30 | Myeongdong (명동): 5 single sheet masks at Daiso | 5 × ₩500 = ₩2,500 ($1.86) | ₩35,038 | ₩99,111 |
| 17:30 | N Seoul Tower observatory, adult | ₩29,000 ($21.62) | ₩64,038 | ₩70,111 |
| 19:30 | Dinner: one 200 g serving of samgyeopsal (삼겹살, grilled pork belly) | ₩21,321 ($15.89) | ₩85,359 | ₩48,790 |
| Total for the day | ₩85,359 ($63.63) | About ₩48,790 ($36.37) left over | ||
Gimbap, bibimbap and samgyeopsal are Seoul averages for July 2026 from the Korea Consumer Agency's Price.go.kr service. Real menus will be a little above or below them.
The day, stop by stop
Morning. Buy a T-money card at any convenience store and load it with cash. Ride to Gyeongbokgung Palace. A ticket costs ₩3,000 for foreign adults aged 19 to 64. It is free if you are 18 or under, 65 or over, or wearing hanbok (한복, traditional Korean clothing).
Notice the coffee line. Your Starbucks americano (₩4,700) costs more than your gimbap breakfast (₩3,869). That is normal in Seoul, not a tourist trap.
Afternoon. Lunch near the palace, then ride to Myeongdong. Daiso sells single sheet masks for ₩500, and nothing in the store costs more than ₩5,000. Our Daiso Korea shopping guide explains the price tiers and the big Seoul stores. You can find the nearest branch with this Daiso Myeongdong map search.
Evening. N Seoul Tower is the biggest single cost of the day at ₩29,000. If you'd rather keep the money, you can walk up Namsan (남산) and enjoy the free view from the plaza instead.
Dinner is Korean BBQ. Many BBQ restaurants ask for a minimum of two servings, so this works best with a friend: you each pay for one. If you're new to it, read how to order and eat Korean BBQ first.
What's not included: rice, drinks or soju at dinner, snacks, a taxi, or anything bought on impulse. That is what the ₩48,790 buffer is for.
What's Cheap in Seoul
Public transport. A ₩1,550 subway ride is one of the best deals in the city. If you tap your first ride before 6:30 a.m., there is a 20% early-morning discount. Transfers within the time limit are charged as one trip based on total distance, so you don't pay a new base fare each time. Our Seoul subway guide shows how to ride, transfer and read the maps.
Everyday food. The average Seoul gimbap roll was ₩3,869 in July 2026, jajangmyeon (짜장면, black-bean noodles) was ₩7,654 and kimchi stew with rice was ₩8,654. Those are full meals for under $7.
Beauty basics. A ₩500 sheet mask at Daiso costs about 37 US cents. Bigger beauty brands cost more, but basic skincare is easy on the budget.
What's Surprisingly Expensive
Café coffee, compared with food. A tall americano at Starbucks Korea costs ₩4,700, and the typical cappuccino in Seoul is around ₩5,500. Neither is shocking in dollars. The surprise is that coffee can cost more than the meal you just ate.
Fruit. Seoul has the highest typical apple price per kilo of the six cities in our table. In early September 2026, ten Hongro apples (홍로, a Korean early-autumn variety) were ₩23,255 at retail, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's KAMIS price service. That works out to around ₩2,300 per apple, and the price was actually 25% lower than a year earlier. Shingo pears were 45% above normal levels at the same time.
Paid viewpoints and attractions. In our day, N Seoul Tower cost more than every meal put together. Big-ticket attractions are where a Seoul budget actually goes.
Money Tips That Stretch Your $100
1. Get a transit card on day one
A basic T-money card costs ₩3,000–₩5,000 depending on the design, according to VisitKorea. It works on subways, buses and taxis, and the card price itself is not refunded.
Taking lots of rides? Seoul's Climate Card short-term pass gives unlimited Seoul subway and bus rides for ₩5,000 a day (₩8,000 for two days, ₩10,000 for three), plus ₩3,000 for the physical card. There are two catches: you must buy it with cash or a Korean-issued card, and it only works within Seoul (not the Sinbundang Line or GTX).
2. Pay by card, but carry some cash
Cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants in central Seoul. Keep some won in cash for topping up your transit card, market stalls and small snack stands. Before you fly, set up the apps that make paying and getting around easier. Our list of essential apps for traveling in Korea has QR codes.
3. Use the tax refund on bigger purchases
Tourists staying in Korea for less than six months can get back the tax on goods bought at tax-refund stores. Here are the basics:
- A purchase must be at least ₩15,000.
- Immediate refund (tax taken off at the till): each purchase must be under ₩1,000,000, up to ₩5,000,000 for your whole trip. Show your passport.
- Goods must leave Korea within three months. Cooked food and services such as massages don't qualify.
Our tax refund guide for foreign shoppers covers the airport and downtown options.
Your $100 Day: Checklist
- ☐ Check today's exchange rate (it won't be exactly ₩1,341 per dollar)
- ☐ Buy a T-money card and top it up with cash (₩10,000 easily covers a day of rides)
- ☐ Bring your passport if you plan to shop (needed for tax refunds)
- ☐ Wear hanbok if you want free palace entry
- ☐ Plan BBQ with a friend (many places require two servings)
- ☐ Save big attractions for the days you care most about them
- ☐ Keep receipts over ₩15,000 for tax refunds
Cautions Before You Budget
- Prices are snapshots. Exchange rates change daily, and Korean restaurant prices have been rising year on year. Treat every number here as a guide, not a quote.
- Averages hide a range. A gimbap roll can be cheaper at a simple snack shop and much pricier at a trendy spot. Busy tourist streets may charge more than the Seoul average.
- Crowdsourced rows are rough. The cappuccino, cheap-meal and apple rows come from user reports and come with wide ranges. The fares and the Big Mac row are firmer numbers.
- Fares depend on distance. A long ride in Seoul costs more than ₩1,550 because ₩100 is added for each extra 5 km beyond the first 10 km.
- Singapore fares rise on 26 December 2026, from S$1.28 to S$1.40 for the shortest adult card trip.
Q
Q. Is $100 a day enough for Seoul?
For food, transport and one paid attraction, yes. Our sample day cost about $64. A hotel is not included, and that is usually the largest cost of a trip.
Q. Is Seoul cheaper than New York or London?
For daily spending, clearly. A subway ride is about $1.16 against $3.00 in New York and $3.97 off-peak in London. A cheap restaurant meal is about $9 against roughly $26.
Q. Is Seoul cheaper than Singapore?
It's mixed. Singapore's shortest train trip ($1.00) costs a little less than Seoul's, but a Big Mac, a cappuccino and a cheap restaurant meal all cost less in Seoul.
Q. Why is coffee so expensive in Korea?
In dollars it isn't extreme, but it is expensive next to food. A ₩4,700 americano costs more than a ₩3,869 gimbap roll. One common explanation is that you are partly paying for the seat, since Seoul cafés double as places to study and meet for hours.
Q. Why is fruit expensive in Korea?
Prices depend heavily on harvests and weather. In autumn 2026 apples were cheaper than a year earlier, while pears were well above normal. Even so, ten apples still cost over ₩23,000.
Q. Do I need cash in Seoul?
Not much. Cards cover most purchases. Carry some cash for transit-card top-ups, markets and street food. Our payments and money exchange guide explains ATMs and exchange options.
Q. Can I get palace entry for free?
Yes, if you wear hanbok, or if you are 18 or under or 65 or over (foreign visitors). Otherwise Gyeongbokgung costs ₩3,000 for adults.
Q. What's the cheapest way to see the city from above?
Walking up Namsan costs nothing. The N Seoul Tower observatory is ₩29,000 for adults if you want to go to the top.
Sources / References
- Exchange rates: European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 9 October 2026
- Seoul fares: Seoul Metro fare guide; Seoul Metropolitan Government subway fares page
- New York: MTA subway and bus fares (base fare $3 from 4 January 2026)
- London: Transport for London, Tube and rail fares from 1 March 2026
- Sydney: NSW Passenger Transport (General) Regulation, Opal fare schedule; transportnsw.info
- Singapore: LTA fare table (effective 27 December 2025); The Straits Times on the 26 December 2026 fare change
- Mumbai: Reliance Mumbai Metro (Line 1) fare chart
- Big Mac prices: The Economist Big Mac Index data, July 2026
- Typical prices (cappuccino, inexpensive meal, apples): Numbeo city cost-of-living pages, accessed 11 October 2026
- Seoul restaurant averages: Korea Consumer Agency Price.go.kr, as reported by Newsis (25 August 2026) and Daily Good News (16 September 2026)
- Apple and pear prices: KAMIS (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.), as reported by Maeil Shinmun (8 September 2026)
- Starbucks Korea price: SBS News (20 January 2025)
- Gyeongbokgung admission: Korea Heritage Service, Royal Palaces and Tombs Center
- N Seoul Tower: official admission page
- Daiso sheet mask: Daiso Mall product page
- T-money, Climate Card and tax refunds: VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)
Prices checked on 11 October 2026. Images in this post are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of specific venues.