Cost of living comparison
South Korea is 27.6% cheaper than United States.
If you lived in South Korea instead of United States, you would:
pay 54.3% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.02
|
$6.44
₩8,896
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.37
|
$5.49
₩7,573
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$1.39
₩1,918
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$0.74
₩1,017
|
|
pay 13.6% more for groceries
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.43
|
$2.87
₩3,960
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.30
|
$6.02
₩8,308
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.93
|
$7.79
₩10,756
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
|
$3.21
₩4,434
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.12
|
$2.83
₩3,907
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$2.76
₩3,814
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.39
₩1,918
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.03
|
$2.49
₩3,436
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
|
$2.03
₩2,802
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.69
₩2,332
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.10
₩1,517
|
|
pay 15.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$4.58
₩6,316
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.73
|
$48.21
₩66,552
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,580.82
|
$27,876.80
₩38,479,467
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.71
|
$8.80
₩12,146
|
|
pay 58.2% less for housing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.34
|
$20.28
₩27,988
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,635.84
|
$421.68
₩582,060
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,397.18
|
$330.55
₩456,278
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.42
|
$129.93
₩179,343
|
|
pay 44.5% less for childcare
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,344.29
|
$386.50
₩533,503
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,001.10
|
$18,893.14
₩26,078,956
|
|
pay 35.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.73
|
$2.93
₩4,038
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.97
|
$3.45
₩4,765
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.54
|
$3.33
₩4,601
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.32
|
$48.95
₩67,568
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.21
|
$9.82
₩13,561
|
|
pay 0.7% more for clothing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.12
|
$62.63
₩86,457
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.92
|
$43.35
₩59,833
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.55
|
$72.22
₩99,687
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$113.11
|
$98.82
₩136,399
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Korea or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.