Cost of living comparison

South Korea

compared to

United States

Indianapolis vs. Seoul Cost of Living Summary

Indianapolis is 34.3% more expensive than Seoul.

Restaurants: pay 2.1 times more in Indianapolis
Groceries: pay 23.2% less in Indianapolis
Transportation: pay 4.3% more in Indianapolis
Housing: pay 90.6% more in Indianapolis
Childcare: pay 1.3% less in Indianapolis
Entertainment and Sports: pay 29.7% more in Indianapolis
Clothing: pay 39.4% more in Indianapolis

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

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Indianapolis vs. Seoul Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Indianapolis instead of Seoul, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.1 times more for restaurants

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.96 ₩11,955	$20.00	+123.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.46 ₩9,962	$12.00	+60.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.58 ₩2,112	$3.23	+104.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.79 ₩1,049	$2.71	+245.1%
Average			+106.1%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of restaurants

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pay 23.2% less for groceries

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Bread 1 loaf	$3.10 ₩4,134	$3.36	+8.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.84 ₩11,798	$6.20	-29.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.79 ₩10,403	$3.28	-57.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.61 ₩4,813	$3.68	+2.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$4.74 ₩6,328	$5.69	+20.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$3.46 ₩4,624	$2.52	-27.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.57 ₩2,091	$0.67	-56.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.59 ₩3,462	$2.19	-15.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.83 ₩3,782	$1.94	-31.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.66 ₩2,211	$1.12	-32.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.16 ₩1,542	$1.31	+13.4%
Average			-23.2%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of groceries

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pay 4.3% more for transportation

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.53 ₩7,384	$3.58	-35.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$46.28 ₩61,767	$60.00	+29.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$29,385.60 ₩39M	$36,915.00	+25.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$8.51 ₩11,357	$15.68	+84.3%
Average			+4.3%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of transportation

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pay 90.6% more for housing

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$20.82 ₩27,787	$64.41	+209.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$886.39 ₩1M	$1,720.00	+94.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$620.25 ₩828K	$1,350.00	+117.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$162.69 ₩217K	$176.38	+8.4%
Average			+90.6%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of housing

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pay 1.3% less for childcare

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,927.59 ₩3M	$1,752.97	-9.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$22,602.27 ₩30M	$24,189.88	+7.0%
Average			-1.3%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of childcare

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pay 29.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.73 ₩4,981	$6.25	+67.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.10 ₩5,473	$5.69	+38.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.36 ₩4,483	$10.20	+203.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$58.22 ₩77,707	$40.12	-31.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.20 ₩14,944	$15.00	+34.0%
Average			+29.7%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 39.4% more for clothing

	Seoul	Indianapolis
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$57.88 ₩77,255	$57.33	-1.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$32.77 ₩43,743	$44.66	+36.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$69.99 ₩93,417	$111.54	+59.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$82.45 ₩110K	$144.68	+75.5%
Average			+39.4%

Seoul vs. Indianapolis - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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