Which place is cheaper, Seoul or Doha?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Doha or Seoul?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Doha and Seoul can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Doha or Seoul?
Doha
Doha is the capital city of Qatar, modern and rapidly developing with much construction underway. It is home to Doha International Airport, the main point of entry for Qatar, as well as many of the country's best museums and examples of cultural heritage.
Seoul
With a population of more than 11 million, Seoul is easily the largest city in South Korea. It is also the financial, political, and cultural capital of the country and has much to offer open minded travelers. It is often overlooked by travelers who instead head to Tokyo or Shanghai, but Seoul has a wide range of cultural experiences, food options, and historical sights. Seoul is a city of contrasts with ancient traditions, flashy technology, religious temples and a modern youth culture. It is also more affordable than many of the other Asian metropolis' to which it is often compared. If you're looking for an interesting and different experience that is a little off the tourist trail, Seoul can definitely offer that opportunity.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to South Korea, and The Best Adventure Tours to South Korea.
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Doha Prices
Qatar PricesSeoul Prices
South Korea Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayDoha $245Seoul $117
The average daily cost (per person) in Doha is $245, while the average daily cost in Seoul is $117. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Doha and Seoul in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personDoha $119Seoul $49
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomDoha $238Seoul $98
Compare Hotels in Doha and Seoul
Looking for a hotel in Doha or Seoul? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Doha Hotel Prices and Seoul Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Doha $23Seoul $14
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Doha
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Doha:
- Departure Transfer From West Bay / Pearl Qatar: $20
- Private Car Transfer from Doha City: $20
- Arrival Transfer to West Bay / Pearl Qatar: $20
- Departure Transfer from Lusail: $27
- Doha Night Desert Safari Camel Ride Dune Bashing with Transfer: $39
- Doha to Qatar Doha Hamad Airport (DOH) Departure Private Transfer: $40
- Transfer from Hamad Airport to Doha City - Stress-Free Tranafer: $40
- Private Doha Airport Transfer | Hamad Airport (DOH): $40
- Qatar Doha Airport (DOH) to Qatar Doha - Private Transfer: $41
- Qatar Doha Hamad Airport (DOH) to Doha Arrival Private Transfer: $41
- Private Transfer from Doha Port to Doha Hamad Airport (DOH): $51
- Doha : City Tour To All Main Attractions Including Transfers: $55
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Seoul
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Seoul:
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Subway Card$3.28
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Short Taxi Ride$4.59
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Metro Ride$0.88
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Seoul City Pass Plus$6.55
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Seoul
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Seoul:
- From Round-Trip Transfer to Dae Jang Geum Park: $50
- Incheon Airport Transfer service pick up drop off Seoul ~7 Pax: $89
- Incheon Airport transfer directly to Seoul city: $113
- Incheon International Airport (ICN): Private Seoul Transfer: $95
- Lotte World 1Day Pass+Obesrvatoy+Private round transfer(Seoul): $115
- Premium Seoul Airport Transfer: Affordable & Convenience: $105
- Private Airport Transfer * Incheon Airport Seoul (1-5 people): $90
- Private Airport Transfer - Incheon Airport ⇔ Seoul (Up to 7 or 11 people): $130
- Private Airport Transfer : Incheon to/from Seoul (up to 7 pax): $98
- Private Airport Transfer From Incheon Airport To Seoul(up to 12): $190
- Private Airport Transfer: Gimpo Airport → Hotel in the City: $75
- Private Airport Transfer: Hotel in Seoul → Gimpo Airport: $57
Is it cheaper to fly into Doha or Seoul?
Prices for flights to both Seoul and Doha change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayDoha $106Seoul $47
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Doha
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Doha.
- Dhow Cruise Dinner Live BBQ Buffet and Hotel Transfer: $23
- Traditional Sunset Dhow Cruise Tour with BBQ Buffet Dinner: $32
- Starlight Dhow Cruise Dinner Experience on Doha Waterfront: $34
- Doha Evening Dhow Cruise with Dinner Option: $39
- Sunset Dinner Cruise in Doha Bay A Traditional Dhow Experience: $55
- Qatar: Desert Dune Bashing with lunch/dinner in Desert Beach Camp: $55
- Moonlight Dinner Cruise with Transfers: $65
- Qatar Desert Safari Tour with Bedouin Camp Lunch or Dinner: $130
- Full Day Desert Safari with Inland Sea Visit and Buffet Dinner: $150
- 5-Hour Private Night Tour with Dinner: $158
- Full Day Desert Safari in Qatar with Lunch/Dinner by sea side: $159
- Private Desert Safari with BBQ Lunch or Dinner: $160
Typical Food Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of dining costs in Seoul are as follows:
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Rice with Kimchi & Bacon$3.93
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Waffle$0.66
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Dippin' Dots$1.31
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Chicken Fried Rice$3.60
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Chicken Stick$1.31
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Drinking Yoghurt & Mi Chew$1.24
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Lunch Buffet$3.93
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Donut$0.66
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Mushroom Burger$3.41
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Green Tea Ice Cream$2.16
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Udon & Sushi$4.59
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Fresh Burger$3.14
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Soba Noodles Lunch$2.95
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Bibimbap Lunch$3.28
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Fried Rice$3.60
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Vietnamese Dinner$6.22
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Breakfast and Coffee for 2$6.22
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Donut$1.64
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Seoul
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Seoul.
- Guided Street Food Tour at Namdaemun Market: $45
- Seoul Night Run for Local-Favorite Korean BBQ Dinner: $50
- [Wine & K-BBQ] A Perfect Pairing Dinner in Sinchon: $51
- Street Food Tour in Jongno, Heart of Seoul: $57
- Mangwon Market Food tour By Locals;Cheap Eats to Fancy Feast: $57
- Sunset Walking Tour in Naksan Park with Dinner: $58
- Hidden Market Food Tour with 12+ Tasters & Drinking Games: $58
- Wine & K-BBQ: A Perfect Pairing Dinner: $58
- Dinner at a Local's Hanok & Seoul's Night Life: $60
- Kimchi Dishes Cooking Class with Wine Pairing: $61
- Explore Seoul's Flavors on Group Cooking Class Adventure: $63
- Gwangjang Market Netflix Food Tour: $64
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Doha $18Seoul $24
Tours and Activities in Doha
Here are a few actual costs in Doha for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- 3-2-1 Olympic and Sports Museum ticket | Qatar: $20
- National Museum Ticket at Qatar: $23
- Doha Desert Safari, ATV, Camels, Sandboarding and Inland Sea Tour: $28
- Qatar Desert Safari Adventure Experience .: $28
- Top Doha Night City Tour Including Souq Waqif , Lusail And Katara: $30
- Doha Private City Tour with Licensed Tour Guide: $30
- Explore Doha Souq Waqif Katara Cultural Village Pearl Island Tour: $30
- Doha Sightseeing Tour with Optional Sunset Dhow Cruise: $34
- Explore Heart of Qatar Doha City Tour with Professional Guide: $35
- Guided City Tour with Traditional Dhow Cruise Skyline: $35
- Qatar Desert Safari: Dune Bashing & Inland Sea (Shared Tour): $37
- Arabian Dhow Cruise in Doha with Sunset and Skyline Views: $37
Typical Entertainment Prices in Seoul
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Seoul are as follows:
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Palace Tickets$5.24
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Movie Ticket$5.24
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Kimchi Museum$1.97
Tours and Activities in Seoul
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Seoul are as follows:
- K-Culture Adventure in Seoul Self-Guided Walking Tour: $3.49
- Seoul Ghost Tour: Self-Guided Haunted Walk: $4.94
- Seoul Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.00
- Seoul Walking Tour 3h30 and 19 audio reviews: $6.69
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Hanbok Rental Experience Hanboknam (내국인불가): $7.00
- Seoul Changdeokgung Palace Hanbok Experience Hanboknam (내국인불가): $7.10
- Gwanghwamun Tour l 120 Minutes to Understand South Korea: $10
- Bukchon Hanok Village Seoul Walking Tour with Audioguide: $12
- K-Beauty Scalp Spa Experience in Hongdae: $13
- Seoul : Essential History Walking Tour for Visitor: $13
- Changdeokgung Hanbok Experience at hanboknam: $14
- Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Experience at hanboknam: $14
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayDoha $15Seoul $11
Sample the Local Flavors in Seoul
Also in Seoul, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- The Seoul Pub Crawl Official: $22
- Pub Crawl: $25
- The Seoul Pub Crawl [official]: $26
- LGBTQ+ Pub Crawl and Drag Show with Local Drag Queen: $28
- Soju Tasting at Distillery - story of 3 pigs: $41
- Rice Wine Tasting with Sommelier - Finest Makgeolli (& Soju): $46
- Soju Tasting at Distillery: $51
- Premium Pub Crawl with Open Bottles: $57
- Craft Makgeolli Brewery Tour & Tasting Experience: $67
- Learn and Craft Makgeolli in a Traditional Brewery: $78
- Chunpoong Makgeolli Brewery Tour: $80
- From Yeongdong Day Trip with Wine Tasting and Janggu: $91
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Doha and Seoul, we can see that Doha is more expensive. And not only is Seoul much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Doha is in Middle East and Seoul is in Asia, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Seoul would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Seoul and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Doha would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Doha than you might in Seoul.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Doha Expensive? and Is Seoul Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Doha or Seoul?
Seoul has a larger population, and is about 30 times larger than the population of Doha. When comparing the sizes of Doha and Seoul, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.