Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 39.6% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 62.5% less in South Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 10.3% more in South Korea
- Transportation
-
pay 29.1% less in South Korea
- Housing
-
pay 69.9% less in South Korea
- Childcare
-
pay 63.0% less in South Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.6% less in South Korea
- Clothing
-
pay 13.3% less in South Korea
Expenses including housing, childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing are lower in South Korea.
South Korea vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 62.5% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$6.72
₩9,907
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$5.50
₩8,102
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$1.47
₩2,161
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$0.82
₩1,216
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$2.87
₩4,235
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$5.63
₩8,290
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$7.67
₩11,311
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$2.84
₩4,180
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$3.34
₩4,917
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$3.24
₩4,768
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.39
₩2,045
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.80
₩4,121
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.40
₩3,543
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.78
₩2,627
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.20
₩1,775
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 29.1% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$4.40
₩6,485
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$47.17
₩69,524
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$26,440.41
₩38,967,875
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$8.33
₩12,280
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 69.9% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$21.68
₩31,958
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$473.91
₩698,442
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$357.19
₩526,420
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$132.53
₩195,326
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 63.0% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$378.52
₩557,869
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$15,055.40
₩22,188,655
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 49.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$3.12
₩4,595
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$3.57
₩5,258
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$3.18
₩4,693
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$49.86
₩73,483
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$10.12
₩14,912
|
|
San Diego vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.3% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$66.46
₩97,948
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$50.68
₩74,697
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$72.74
₩107,204
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$103.23
₩152,146
|
|
San Diego 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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