Cost of living comparison

 South Carolina, USA
compared to
 South Korea
South Korea vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 20.5% cheaper than South Carolina.

Restaurants
pay 52.8% less in South Korea
Groceries
pay 26.7% more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 8.6% less in South Korea
Housing
pay 60.8% less in South Korea
Childcare
pay 33.1% less in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.2% less in South Korea
Clothing
pay 3.0% more in South Korea

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

South Korea vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown

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

pay 52.8% less for restaurants

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.57
 
$6.16
₩8,518
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.40
 
$5.24
₩7,246
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.41
 
$1.47
₩2,036

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pay 26.7% more for groceries

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$3.02
 
$3.08
₩4,255
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.99
 
$5.40
₩7,474
Milk (1 gallon) $3.25
 
$7.46
₩10,315

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pay 8.6% less for transportation

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.08
 
$4.39
₩6,075
Monthly public transit pass $49.00
 
$45.32
₩62,672
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,676.82
 
$27,023.07
₩37,372,666

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pay 60.8% less for housing

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$63.14
 
$17.65
₩24,416
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,510.93
 
$426.93
₩590,443
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,398.21
 
$328.41
₩454,193

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pay 33.1% less for childcare

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,335.89
 
$373.40
₩516,410
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $21,679.50
 
$22,907.58
₩31,680,978

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pay 18.2% less for entertainment and sports

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.79
 
$3.09
₩4,279
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.08
 
$3.39
₩4,687
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.37
 
$3.21
₩4,445

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pay 3.0% more for clothing

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.07
 
$60.70
₩83,954
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.58
 
$44.52
₩61,574
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$89.11
 
$72.99
₩100,948

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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: June 2025
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