Jeju City vs Ulsan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 62. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Korea's volcanic island with visa-free entry for most
Full Jeju City profile →Plan a trip to Jeju City →Korea's industrial powerhouse with a riverside garden and rugged coast
Full Ulsan profile →Plan a trip to Ulsan →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Jeju City leads on getting there & around, 26 to 17, against Ulsan. Non-stop airport destinations: 38 vs 50.
- Climate. Ulsan leads on climate, 25 to 17, against Jeju City. Comfortable months: 2 vs 3.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, internet, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Jeju City if you want
- no clear edge over Ulsan in the data
Pick Ulsan if you want
- no clear edge over Jeju City in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 35 | 35 |
| Safety | 87 | 87 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 88 | 88 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 26 ✓ | 17 |
| Climate | 17 | 25 ✓ |
| Air quality | 69 ✓ | 66 |
| Quality of life | 83 | 83 |
Cost
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,250 | $2,250 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.49 | 0.49 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 81.7 | 81.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 83.6 yrs | 83.6 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 85 Mbps | 85.6 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 87 Mbps ✓ | 84.3 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Workcation (digital nomad) visa (F-1-D) | Workcation (digital nomad) visa (F-1-D) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $6,512/mo | $6,512/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 38 | 50 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Jeju City | Ulsan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 19.1 µg/m³ ✓ | 20.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Jeju City or Ulsan?
- Jeju City and Ulsan cost about the same: roughly $2,250 per month for one person.
- Is Jeju City or Ulsan safer?
- Jeju City and Ulsan score the same on safety (87), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Jeju City or Ulsan?
- Ulsan: a measured median of 85.6 Mbps versus 85 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.