Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. Alabama Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 14.8% cheaper than Alabama.
- Restaurants
-
pay 47.8% less in South Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 25.0% more in South Korea
- Transportation
-
pay 3.1% less in South Korea
- Housing
-
pay 46.5% less in South Korea
- Childcare
-
pay 33.9% less in South Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.7% less in South Korea
- Clothing
-
pay 25.2% more in South Korea
The cost of clothing and groceries in South Korea are more expensive than in Alabama. Expenses including restaurants, housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in South Korea.
South Korea vs. Alabama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of Alabama, you would:
pay 47.8% less for restaurants
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.75
|
$6.72
₩9,907
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.36
|
$5.50
₩8,102
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.07
|
$1.47
₩2,161
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$0.82
₩1,216
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.0% more for groceries
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.26
|
$2.87
₩4,235
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.23
|
$5.63
₩8,290
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.69
|
$7.67
₩11,311
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$2.84
₩4,180
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.89
|
$3.34
₩4,917
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.45
|
$3.24
₩4,768
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.39
₩2,045
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.76
|
$2.80
₩4,121
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.40
₩3,543
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.78
₩2,627
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.20
₩1,775
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 3.1% less for transportation
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.84
|
$4.40
₩6,485
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$47.17
₩69,524
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,098.54
|
$26,440.41
₩38,967,875
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.41
|
$8.33
₩12,280
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 46.5% less for housing
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.63
|
$21.68
₩31,958
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.37
|
$473.91
₩698,442
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$847.06
|
$357.19
₩526,420
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.14
|
$132.53
₩195,326
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 33.9% less for childcare
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,146.13
|
$378.52
₩557,869
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,177.33
|
$15,055.40
₩22,188,655
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 22.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.96
|
$3.12
₩4,595
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.95
|
$3.57
₩5,258
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.76
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.81
|
$49.86
₩73,483
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.07
|
$10.12
₩14,912
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.2% more for clothing
|
Alabama
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$39.67
|
$66.46
₩97,948
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.87
|
$50.68
₩74,697
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.77
|
$72.74
₩107,204
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.17
|
$103.23
₩152,146
|
|
Alabama vs. South Korea - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
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