South Korea vs. Ireland Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 5.8% cheaper than Ireland overall.

Restaurants
pay 48.8% less in South Korea
Groceries
pay 65.0% more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 47.3% less in South Korea
Housing
pay 58.7% less in South Korea
Childcare
pay 87.9% more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.0% less in South Korea
Clothing
pay 3.5% less in South Korea

The cost of childcare and groceries in South Korea are more expensive than in Ireland. Expenses including housing, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Korea. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in South Korea.

South Korea vs. Ireland Cost Breakdown

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

pay 48.8% less for restaurants

 
Ireland
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.71
€17.14
$6.16
₩8,964
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.75
€9.44
$5.24
₩7,624
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.15
€2.08
$1.47
₩2,142

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pay 65.0% more for groceries

 
Ireland
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$1.78
€1.72
$3.08
₩4,477
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.12
€3.99
$5.40
₩7,865
Milk (1 gallon) $5.05
€4.89
$7.46
₩10,854

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pay 47.3% less for transportation

 
Ireland
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.11
€6.89
$4.39
₩6,392
Monthly public transit pass $119.47
€115.68
$45.32
₩65,947
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,943.34
€36,738.34
$27,023.07
₩39,325,801

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pay 58.7% less for housing

 
Ireland
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$46.92
€45.43
$17.65
₩25,692
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,406.76
€1,362.08
$426.93
₩621,300
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,187.82
€1,150.10
$328.41
₩477,929

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pay 87.9% more for childcare

 
Ireland
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $996.31
€964.67
$373.40
₩543,398
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,771.62
€6,556.57
$22,907.58
₩33,336,660

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pay 35.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Ireland
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.94
€5.75
$3.09
₩4,503
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.80
€3.68
$3.39
₩4,932
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$16.44
€15.92
$3.21
₩4,677

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pay 3.5% less for clothing

 
Ireland
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$77.94
€75.47
$60.70
₩88,341
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.83
€36.62
$44.52
₩64,792
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$85.63
€82.91
$72.99
₩106,223

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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: February 2025
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