Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. District of Columbia Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 41.4% cheaper than District of Columbia.
South Korea vs. District of Columbia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of District of Columbia, you would:
pay 63.0% less for restaurants
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $6.72 ₩10,320 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $5.50 ₩8,440 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.20 | $1.47 ₩2,251 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.79 | $0.82 ₩1,266 | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.2% less for groceries
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.43 | $2.87 ₩4,412 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.04 | $5.63 ₩8,636 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.19 | $7.67 ₩11,783 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.55 | $2.84 ₩4,354 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $7.74 | $3.34 ₩5,122 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.95 | $3.24 ₩4,967 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.92 | $1.39 ₩2,131 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.20 | $2.80 ₩4,293 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $3.00 | $2.40 ₩3,691 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.35 | $1.78 ₩2,736 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.64 | $1.20 ₩1,849 | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 22.6% less for transportation
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.53 | $4.40 ₩6,756 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $77.50 | $47.17 ₩72,425 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,699.74 | $26,440.41 ₩41M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $16.73 | $8.33 ₩12,792 | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 60.7% less for housing
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $69.41 | $21.68 ₩33,291 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,568.48 | $473.91 ₩728K | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,088.16 | $357.19 ₩548K | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $146.54 | $132.53 ₩203K | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 74.1% less for childcare
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,650.00 | $378.52 ₩581K | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $40,166.67 | $15,055.40 ₩23M | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 53.8% less for entertainment and sports
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.00 | $3.12 ₩4,787 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $6.07 | $3.57 ₩5,478 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.00 | $3.18 ₩4,888 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $103.76 | $49.86 ₩76,549 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $16.75 | $10.12 ₩15,534 | |
District of Columbia vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.2% less for clothing
District of Columbia | South Korea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $76.00 | $66.46 ₩102K | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $48.40 | $50.68 ₩77,813 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $104.31 | $72.74 ₩112K | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $133.22 | $103.23 ₩158K | |
District of Columbia 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: June 2026
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Compare further: District of Columbia vs. South Korea
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See the cost of living in United States vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and South Korea.
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