Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 17.9% cheaper than Iowa.
South Korea vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 50.1% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$6.72
₩10,137
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$5.50
₩8,290
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$1.47
₩2,211
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$0.82
₩1,244
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.1% more for groceries
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$2.87
₩4,334
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$5.63
₩8,483
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$7.67
₩11,574
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$2.84
₩4,277
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$3.34
₩5,031
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$3.24
₩4,879
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.39
₩2,093
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.80
₩4,217
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.40
₩3,625
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.78
₩2,688
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.20
₩1,816
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 4.4% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$4.40
₩6,636
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$47.17
₩71,141
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$26,440.41
₩40M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$8.33
₩12,565
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 45.3% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$21.68
₩32,701
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$473.91
₩715K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$357.19
₩539K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$132.53
₩200K
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 43.8% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$378.52
₩571K
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$15,055.40
₩23M
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 34.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$3.12
₩4,702
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$3.57
₩5,380
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$3.18
₩4,802
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$49.86
₩75,193
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$10.12
₩15,259
|
|
Iowa vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.9% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$66.46
₩100K
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$50.68
₩76,434
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$72.74
₩110K
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$103.23
₩156K
|
|
Iowa 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: March 2026
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Compare further: Iowa 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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