Cost of living comparison
South Korea is 18.3% more expensive than Japan.
If you lived in South Korea instead of Japan, you would:
pay 15.4% more for restaurants
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.44
¥994
|
$6.16
₩8,598
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.94
¥763
|
$5.24
₩7,313
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.97
¥150
|
$1.47
₩2,055
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.73
¥113
|
$0.79
₩1,105
|
|
pay 37.4% more for groceries
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.52
¥235
|
$3.08
₩4,295
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.72
¥883
|
$5.40
₩7,544
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.46
¥842
|
$7.46
₩10,411
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.02
¥311
|
$2.76
₩3,849
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.73
¥421
|
$3.32
₩4,635
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.17
¥336
|
$3.17
₩4,422
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
¥158
|
$1.49
₩2,078
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.64
¥253
|
$2.53
₩3,534
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.04
¥314
|
$2.41
₩3,370
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
¥195
|
$1.82
₩2,547
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
¥167
|
$1.21
₩1,689
|
|
pay 15.7% less for transportation
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
¥652
|
$4.39
₩6,132
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$57.82
¥8,923
|
$45.32
₩63,258
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,042.19
¥3,401,882
|
$27,023.07
₩37,722,173
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.42
¥3,924
|
$8.17
₩11,407
|
|
pay 14.6% less for housing
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.09
¥4,798
|
$17.65
₩24,644
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$500.38
¥77,226
|
$426.93
₩595,965
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$325.42
¥50,223
|
$328.41
₩458,440
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$113.04
¥17,446
|
$111.42
₩155,538
|
|
pay 68.0% more for childcare
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$288.10
¥44,464
|
$373.40
₩521,239
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,095.30
¥1,712,394
|
$22,907.58
₩31,977,257
|
|
pay 3.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.71
¥418
|
$3.09
₩4,319
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.78
¥429
|
$3.39
₩4,731
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.98
¥615
|
$3.21
₩4,486
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.72
¥8,908
|
$45.71
₩63,810
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.97
¥1,848
|
$10.10
₩14,097
|
|
pay 41.4% more for clothing
|
Japan
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$40.54
¥6,257
|
$60.70
₩84,739
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$26.82
¥4,139
|
$44.52
₩62,150
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$54.08
¥8,346
|
$72.99
₩101,892
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.66
¥12,604
|
$93.73
₩130,840
|
|
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