Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Korea vs. Berlin Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 12.0% cheaper than Berlin.

Restaurants
pay 62.8% less in South Korea
Groceries
pay 42.5% more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 41.5% less in South Korea
Housing
pay 60.6% less in South Korea
Childcare
pay 81.0% more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.6% less in South Korea
Clothing
pay 16.2% less in South Korea

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

South Korea vs. Berlin Cost Breakdown

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

pay 62.8% less for restaurants

 
Berlin
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.52
€15.05
$6.72
₩9,907
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.55
€11.64
$5.50
₩8,102
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.49
€3.00
$1.47
₩2,161

Improve prices ·

pay 42.5% more for groceries

 
Berlin
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$2.25
€1.94
$2.87
₩4,235
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.10
€6.10
$5.63
₩8,290
Milk (1 gallon) $5.13
€4.41
$7.67
₩11,311

Improve prices ·

pay 41.5% less for transportation

 
Berlin
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.52
€6.46
$4.40
₩6,485
Monthly public transit pass $68.91
€59.18
$47.17
₩69,524
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,702.07
€28,084.89
$26,440.41
₩38,967,875

Improve prices ·

pay 60.6% less for housing

 
Berlin
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$50.32
€43.22
$21.68
₩31,958
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,427.12
€1,225.63
$473.91
₩698,442
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,068.35
€917.51
$357.19
₩526,420

Improve prices ·

pay 81.0% more for childcare

 
Berlin
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $184.92
€158.81
$378.52
₩557,869
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,579.95
€8,227.37
$15,055.40
₩22,188,655

Improve prices ·

pay 26.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Berlin
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.26
€4.51
$3.12
₩4,595
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.45
€3.82
$3.57
₩5,258
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.16
€8.73
$3.18
₩4,693

Improve prices ·

pay 16.2% less for clothing

 
Berlin
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$93.79
€80.55
$66.46
₩97,948
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$43.63
€37.47
$50.68
₩74,697
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$106.67
€91.61
$72.74
₩107,204

Improve prices ·
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
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Germany vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Germany and South Korea.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Korea or Berlin. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.