Cost of living comparison
South Korea is 35.6% cheaper than California.
If you lived in South Korea instead of California, you would:
pay 59.3% less for restaurants
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.89
|
$6.44
₩8,950
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.74
|
$5.49
₩7,619
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$1.39
₩1,930
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$0.74
₩1,024
|
|
pay 2.6% more for groceries
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.10
|
$2.87
₩3,984
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.78
|
$6.02
₩8,358
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.57
|
$7.79
₩10,820
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.34
|
$3.21
₩4,460
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.53
|
$2.83
₩3,931
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.76
₩3,837
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$1.39
₩1,930
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$2.49
₩3,457
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.03
₩2,819
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.69
₩2,346
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.45
|
$1.10
₩1,526
|
|
pay 24.4% less for transportation
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$4.58
₩6,355
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.11
|
$48.21
₩66,953
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,950.13
|
$27,876.80
₩38,711,402
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.46
|
$8.80
₩12,219
|
|
pay 65.8% less for housing
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.38
|
$20.28
₩28,157
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,333.22
|
$421.68
₩585,569
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,022.14
|
$330.55
₩459,028
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$178.08
|
$129.93
₩180,424
|
|
pay 56.4% less for childcare
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,629.83
|
$386.50
₩536,719
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,739.09
|
$18,893.14
₩26,236,147
|
|
pay 44.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.06
|
$2.93
₩4,062
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.27
|
$3.45
₩4,794
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.99
|
$3.33
₩4,629
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.71
|
$48.95
₩67,975
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.08
|
$9.82
₩13,643
|
|
pay 1.2% less for clothing
|
California
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.63
|
$62.63
₩86,978
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.12
|
$43.35
₩60,194
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.49
|
$72.22
₩100,288
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.90
|
$98.82
₩137,222
|
|
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