Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Korea vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary

South Korea is 22.0% cheaper than South Carolina.

Restaurants
pay 55.4% less in South Korea
Groceries
pay 12.7% more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 3.6% less in South Korea
Housing
pay 54.4% less in South Korea
Childcare
pay 46.7% less in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.7% less in South Korea
Clothing
pay 12.9% more in South Korea

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

South Korea vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Korea instead of South Carolina, you would:

pay 55.4% less for restaurants

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.17
 
$6.72
₩9,907
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.16
 
$5.50
₩8,102
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.65
 
$1.47
₩2,161

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pay 12.7% more for groceries

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$3.44
 
$2.87
₩4,235
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.99
 
$5.63
₩8,290
Milk (1 gallon) $3.54
 
$7.67
₩11,311

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pay 3.6% less for transportation

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.88
 
$4.40
₩6,485
Monthly public transit pass $46.17
 
$47.17
₩69,524
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,190.90
 
$26,440.41
₩38,967,875

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pay 54.4% less for housing

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$66.47
 
$21.68
₩31,958
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,589.94
 
$473.91
₩698,442
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,366.92
 
$357.19
₩526,420

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pay 46.7% less for childcare

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,346.85
 
$378.52
₩557,869
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $19,168.15
 
$15,055.40
₩22,188,655

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pay 19.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.29
 
$3.12
₩4,595
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.17
 
$3.57
₩5,258
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.67
 
$3.18
₩4,693

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pay 12.9% more for clothing

 
South Carolina
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$50.06
 
$66.46
₩97,948
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.86
 
$50.68
₩74,697
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$84.43
 
$72.74
₩107,204

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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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