Seoul vs Suwon
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Seoul edges it, 65 to 64, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Seoul is stronger on getting there & around; Suwon on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Fortress city and Samsung's home base, an hour from central Seoul
Full Suwon profile →Plan a trip to Suwon →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Seoul leads on getting there & around, 59 to 49, against Suwon. Non-stop airport destinations: 169 vs 169.
- Internet. Suwon leads on internet, 89 to 82, against Seoul. Measured download: 71.5 Mbps vs 91.3 Mbps.
- Cost of living. Seoul leads on cost of living, 41 to 35, against Suwon. Monthly cost, one person: $1,987 vs $2,250.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Seoul if you want
- to spend about $263 less a month
Pick Suwon if you want
- faster internet (91.3 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 41 ✓ | 35 |
| Safety | 87 | 87 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 82 | 89 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 59 ✓ | 49 |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 55 ✓ | 54 |
| Quality of life | 83 | 83 |
Cost
| Metric | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,987 ✓ | $2,250 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $967 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 71.5 Mbps | 91.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 30.3 Mbps | 91.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 169 | 169 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Seoul | Suwon |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 25.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 25.7 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Seoul or Suwon?
- Seoul is cheaper: about $1,987 per month versus $2,250 for one person.
- Is Seoul or Suwon safer?
- Seoul and Suwon score the same on safety (87), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Seoul or Suwon?
- Suwon: a measured median of 91.3 Mbps versus 71.5 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.