World · South Korea

Seoul

indicative score contains estimates

7.25 / 10 · range 7.13–7.29

Onde Viver Bem · updated November 10, 2026

Technical notes for this page

Updated November 10, 2026. Indicative score. Weights: entertainment 11.73% (destinations and venues within 50 km); bars 3.73%; safety 15% with a penalty; water at country level; land price per m² = official source (ITBI, Terracap, registries, valuations) or listings with a caveat · coverage 100%

Seoul has an indicative score of 7.25/10 in the World ranking of Onde Viver Bem, updated November 10, 2026. The strongest published variables are Airport (10.00), Culture (10.00) and Entertainment (10.00); the weakest are Clean air (3.20), Mild climate (3.94) and Sun (4.51). The scores are indicative. Cost of living and the land price per m² are not part of the score. Some figures on this page are estimates and carry the “estimated” badge.

Seoul: view of the city — Seoul. Photo: 라성민, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

safety: incomplete definition (police homicide count, includes attempts; no undetermined-intent deaths); safety: feeling of safety at national level only (Gallup); estimated: robbery (median of comparable cities)

Land price per m²

US$ 5,418/m² (KRW 7,296,440)

official (valuation; market realization rate 65.5%)

Score breakdown

Each criterion's score, its weight in the total and the raw figure, linked to its source.

Safety estimated · score 6.51 · weight 15.00% · sources: homicidios_100k_policia (1.27) · sensacao_seguranca_noite_pct (80) · roubo_razao_cidade_pais (2.13) estimated

raw: 1.27 per 100k pop. · 40% violent deaths (log 30→0, 0.5→10 per 100k) + 30% city robbery ÷ country average (log 5×→0, 0.5×→10) + 30% share who feel safe at night (lin 30%→0, 95%→10); any part without data: weights renormalized

Composite safety: violent deaths 1.3 per 100k → 7.7 (weight 40%) · ESTIMATED robbery 2.13× the country average (median of comparable cities; range 1.67–3.91×) → 3.7 (weight 30%) estimated · 80.0% feel safe walking alone at night (South Korea (national), 2024) → 7.7 (weight 30%).

Estimate: ESTIMATE (not a measurement): no local robbery statistic collected. City÷country ratio = median of the 29 cities with measured robbery outside Brazil (all of them, no city-states) (2.13×; P25–P75 range 1.67–3.91×). Base: Buenos Aires 2.27, Córdoba 3.31, Mendoza 3.16, Toronto 1.24, Lausanne 4.65, Copenhague 2.50, Barcelona 5.58, Madri 1.80, Málaga 1.06, Oviedo 0.38, Valência 2.03, Bordeaux 4.89, Estrasburgo 1.67, Lille 4.52, Marselha 3.98, Nice 1.26, Rennes 2.71, Atenas 2.16, Dublin 2.10, Roma 1.63, Kuala Lumpur 1.85, Amsterdã 3.91, Cidade do Panamá 1.80, Braga 0.67, Lisboa 4.50, Porto 4.50, Miami 1.58, Orlando 1.90, Montevidéu 2.13.

Beach / mountains · score 9.02 · weight 11.59% · sources: km_ate_praia_osm (15.0) · km_ate_relevo_montanhoso (30.0) · osm_cachoeiras_50km (39.0) · osm_areas_protegidas_50km (15.0) · osm_trilhas_rota_50km (63.0) · osm_mirantes_50km (377.0)

raw: 15.0 km · beach: distance log 5 km→10, 150 km→0; mountains: richness of nature leisure (mean of the top 3 of 4 counts, 50 km) × access (1 up to 15 km → 0 at 150 km, log), 0 with no relief; score = min(10, max(beach, mountains) + 0.3·min)

Water · score 5.28 · weight 9.94% · sources: wb_estresse_hidrico_pais (85.222) · wb_agua_gerida_segura_pais (99.283)

raw: 85.222 % withdrawal / available resources · average: stress log 100%→0, 10%→10; safe water lin 50%→0, 100%→10

Parks · score 7.16 · weight 9.94% · sources: osm_parques_2km (79.0) · osm_parques_municipio (2238.0)

raw: 79.0 count of OSM objects · 50% log1p(count within 2 km), 60→10 + 50% log1p(per 10k pop.), 15→10

Sun · score 4.51 · weight 9.94% · sources: radiacao_solar_global (1495.9)

raw: 1495.9 kWh/m²/year · lin 1000→0, 2100→10 kWh/m²/year

Restaurants · score 9.13 · weight 9.11% · sources: osm_restaurantes_2km (5179.0) · osm_restaurantes_municipio (40998.0) · overture_restaurantes_2km (3298.0) · overture_restaurantes_municipio (27784.0)

raw: Average of two mapping sources, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (Overture count ÷ K, K = median Overture/OSM ratio across the 39 cities: 2.57 within 2 km, 3.41 in the municipality); each source: 50% log1p(count within 2 km), 1000→10 + 50% log1p(per 10k pop.), 30→10. Brazil: 50% of that score + 50% log1p(CNPJ per 10k pop. ÷ K), 30→10

Entertainment · score 10.00 · weight 11.73% · sources: osm_destinos_entretenimento_50km (130.0) · osm_arenas_grandes_50km (142.0)

raw: 272.0 count of OSM objects (destinations + venues, 50 km) · log1p(destinations + stadiums/music venues), 120→10; 50 km radius

A1ed, radius 50 km: 130.0 destinations (theme_park/zoo/aquarium/water_park) + 142.0 stadiums/music venues (stadium, music_venue, concert_hall). Left out: events_venue, sports_centre, theatre, amusement_ride, amusement_arcade. OpenStreetMap via ohsome.

Bars · score 6.34 · weight 3.73% · sources: osm_bares_2km (320.0) · osm_bares_municipio (2097.0) · overture_bares_2km (389.0) · overture_bares_municipio (3459.0)

raw: Average of two mapping sources, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (Overture count ÷ K, K = median Overture/OSM ratio across the 39 cities: 2.48 within 2 km, 3.20 in the municipality); each source: 50% log1p(count within 2 km), 500→10 + 50% log1p(per 10k pop.), 10→10. Brazil: 50% of that score + 50% log1p(CNPJ per 10k pop. ÷ K), 10→10

Mild climate · score 3.94 · weight 4.97% · sources: dias_conforto_termico (130.0)

raw: 130.0 days/year · lin 0→0, 330→10 days/year

Health · score 9.54 · weight 4.97% · sources: wb_expectativa_vida (83.629) · osm_hospitais_10km (132.0)

raw: 83.629 years · average: life expectancy lin 70→0, 85→10; Brazil: beds/10k pop. lin 0→0, 50→10; World: OSM hospitals within 10 km log1p 50→10

Clean air · score 3.20 · weight 4.14% · sources: pm25_media_anual (25.397)

raw: 25.397 µg/m³ · lin 35→0, 5→10 µg/m³ (WHO=5)

Airport · score 10.00 · weight 2.48% · sources: osm_aeroportos_iata_50km (4.0)

raw: 4.0 count of OSM objects · 0→0, 1→7, ≥2→10

Culture · score 10.00 · weight 2.48% · sources: osm_cultura_5km (619.0)

raw: 619.0 count of OSM objects · log1p(count), 150→10

The city

Seoul (literally "the Capital"), officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. The city is the core of the Seoul Capital Area, which includes the neighbouring metropolis of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, the world's second largest metropolitan area, with more than 25 million inhabitants.

English rendering of the Portuguese Wikipedia summary linked below. Source: wikipedia_pt. Wikipedia revision 73178776 (2026-10-11T07:01:11Z).

Taxation

취득세 (acquisition tax): Home purchase: 1% up to ₩600M; 1–3% between ₩600–900M; 3% above; heavy (8–12%) for multiple homes or companies. Base: acquisition price. + 지방교육세/농특세 not included 서울시 ETAX (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

annual property tax (IBI/taxe foncière/ENFIA/IMU/固定資産税 etc.); no official local rate collected yet (we do not invent the figure). not collected in this round

Frequently asked questions

What is the Onde Viver Bem score for Seoul?

Seoul has an indicative score of 7.25/10 in the World ranking, updated November 10, 2026. Cost of living is not part of the score.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the score for Seoul?

The strongest published variables are Airport (10.00), Culture (10.00) and Entertainment (10.00); the weakest are Clean air (3.20), Mild climate (3.94) and Sun (4.51).

Does cost of living or the land price per m² enter the score?

No. Cost of living and the land price per m² appear on the page but are not part of the score. See the methodology.

How is the score calculated?

It is an indicative 0–10 quality-of-life index, with 13 variables and published weights. Safety has a 15% weight and, when local data exist, a lethal-violence penalty may cap the total. The full method is on the methodology page.

Are any figures on this page estimates?

Yes. Some values are documented estimates, labelled with the “estimated” badge in the technical notes. The method is explained in the Estimates section.