Cost of living comparison

compared to

Tuscaloosa vs. Seoul Cost of Living Summary

Tuscaloosa is 16.5% more expensive than Seoul.

Restaurants
pay 62.2% more in Tuscaloosa
Groceries
pay 3.3% less in Tuscaloosa
Transportation
pay 1.0% less in Tuscaloosa
Housing
pay 37.4% more in Tuscaloosa
Childcare
pay 21.2% less in Tuscaloosa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.7% more in Tuscaloosa
Clothing
pay 16.2% less in Tuscaloosa

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

Tuscaloosa vs. Seoul Cost Breakdown

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

pay 62.2% more for restaurants

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.96
₩11,955
$17.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.46
₩9,962
$9.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.58
₩2,112
$2.38
 

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pay 3.3% less for groceries

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Bread
1 loaf
$3.10
₩4,134
$3.67
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.84
₩11,798
$6.24
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.79
₩10,403
$4.15
 

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pay 1.0% less for transportation

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.53
₩7,384
$3.43
 
Monthly public transit pass $46.28
₩61,767
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $29,385.60
₩39M
$37,359.00
 

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pay 37.4% more for housing

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$20.82
₩27,787
$61.67
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $886.39
₩1M
$1,227.67
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $620.25
₩828K
$969.80
 

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pay 21.2% less for childcare

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,927.59
₩3M
$1,083.33
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,602.27
₩30M
$25,000.00
 

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pay 37.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.73
₩4,981
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.10
₩5,473
$5.40
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.36
₩4,483
$8.44
 

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pay 16.2% less for clothing

 
Seoul
Tuscaloosa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.88
₩77,255
$41.67
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$32.77
₩43,743
$31.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$69.99
₩93,417
$55.67
 

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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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