Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 21.9% cheaper than Germany overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 59.9% less in South Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 52.3% more in South Korea
- Transportation
-
pay 38.3% less in South Korea
- Housing
-
pay 49.6% less in South Korea
- Childcare
-
pay 16.4% less in South Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.1% less in South Korea
- Clothing
-
pay 17.4% less in South Korea
Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and childcare are lower in South Korea.
South Korea vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of Germany, you would:
pay 59.9% less for restaurants
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.25
€14.00
|
$6.72
₩9,905
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.88
€10.23
|
$5.50
₩8,100
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
€2.83
|
$1.47
₩2,160
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.53
|
$0.82
₩1,215
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 52.3% more for groceries
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.94
|
$2.87
₩4,234
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.39
€6.36
|
$5.63
₩8,289
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.79
€4.13
|
$7.67
₩11,310
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.84
€3.31
|
$2.84
₩4,179
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.58
€5.67
|
$3.34
₩4,916
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
€1.25
|
$3.24
₩4,768
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.71
|
$1.39
₩2,045
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.91
|
$2.80
₩4,121
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
€1.90
|
$2.40
₩3,542
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.61
|
$1.78
₩2,626
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.62
|
$1.20
₩1,774
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 38.3% less for transportation
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.59
€6.54
|
$4.40
₩6,484
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.94
€54.23
|
$47.17
₩69,513
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,651.13
€27,270.17
|
$26,440.41
₩38,961,794
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.45
€23.65
|
$8.33
₩12,278
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 49.6% less for housing
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.64
€41.90
|
$21.68
₩31,953
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.65
€753.58
|
$473.91
₩698,333
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$695.68
€599.39
|
$357.19
₩526,338
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$258.10
€222.38
|
$132.53
₩195,296
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 16.4% less for childcare
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.10
€428.30
|
$378.52
₩557,782
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,538.74
€14,249.55
|
$15,055.40
₩22,185,192
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 24.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.05
€4.35
|
$3.12
₩4,595
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
€3.40
|
$3.57
₩5,257
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.74
€8.39
|
$3.18
₩4,692
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.02
€34.48
|
$49.86
₩73,472
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
€12.41
|
$10.12
₩14,910
|
|
Germany vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.4% less for clothing
|
Germany
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$91.81
€79.10
|
$66.46
₩97,933
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.05
€39.68
|
$50.68
₩74,685
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.53
€88.34
|
$72.74
₩107,187
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.07
€115.51
|
$103.23
₩152,123
|
|
Germany 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: January 2026
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