Cost of living comparison

 India
compared to
 South Korea
South Korea vs. India Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 4.2 times more expensive than India overall.

Restaurants
pay 3.1 times more in South Korea
Groceries
pay 5.3 times more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 2.6 times more in South Korea
Housing
pay 3.2 times more in South Korea
Childcare
pay 10.7 times more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1 times more in South Korea
Clothing
pay 2.3 times more in South Korea

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, transportation, and clothing in South Korea are more expensive than in India. Notably, childcare, groceries, and housing are significantly more expensive in South Korea.

South Korea vs. India Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Korea instead of India, you would:

pay 3.1 times more for restaurants

 
India
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.40
₹206.35
$6.16
₩8,754
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.90
₹335.53
$5.24
₩7,446
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.40
₹34.06
$1.47
₩2,092

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pay 5.3 times more for groceries

 
India
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$0.46
₹39.60
$3.08
₩4,372
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.54
₹218.25
$5.40
₩7,681
Milk (1 gallon) $2.56
₹220.06
$7.46
₩10,600

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pay 2.6 times more for transportation

 
India
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.62
₹396.90
$4.39
₩6,243
Monthly public transit pass $10.12
₹870.37
$45.32
₩64,403
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $13,525.56
₹1,162,835.43
$27,023.07
₩38,404,776

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pay 3.2 times more for housing

 
India
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$7.39
₹634.93
$17.65
₩25,090
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $138.05
₹11,868.89
$426.93
₩606,749
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $90.33
₹7,766.14
$328.41
₩466,736

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pay 10.7 times more for childcare

 
India
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $55.73
₹4,791.17
$373.40
₩530,672
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $1,565.54
₹134,594.41
$22,907.58
₩32,555,903

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pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports

 
India
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.84
₹157.85
$3.09
₩4,397
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.59
₹136.39
$3.39
₩4,817
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.59
₹308.68
$3.21
₩4,568

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pay 2.3 times more for clothing

 
India
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.02
₹2,065.34
$60.70
₩86,272
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$25.36
₹2,180.50
$44.52
₩63,275
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$41.62
₹3,577.95
$72.99
₩103,736

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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