Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 2.6 times more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.9 times more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
- pay 19.7% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
- pay 45.1% more in District of Columbia
- Housing
- pay 3.9 times more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
- pay 4.8 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.4 times more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
- pay 20.6% more in District of Columbia
District of Columbia vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.9 times more for restaurants
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.72 ₩10,320 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.50 ₩8,440 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.47 ₩2,251 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.82 ₩1,266 | $2.79 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.7% more for groceries
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.87 ₩4,412 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.63 ₩8,636 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.67 ₩11,783 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.84 ₩4,354 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.34 ₩5,122 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.24 ₩4,967 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.39 ₩2,131 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.80 ₩4,293 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.40 ₩3,691 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.78 ₩2,736 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.20 ₩1,849 | $1.64 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 45.1% more for transportation
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.40 ₩6,756 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $47.17 ₩72,425 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,440.41 ₩41M | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $8.33 ₩12,792 | $16.73 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 3.9 times more for housing
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $21.68 ₩33,291 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $473.91 ₩728K | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $357.19 ₩548K | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $132.53 ₩203K | $146.54 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 4.8 times more for childcare
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $378.52 ₩581K | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,055.40 ₩23M | $40,166.67 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $3.12 ₩4,787 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.57 ₩5,478 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.18 ₩4,888 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $49.86 ₩76,549 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.12 ₩15,534 | $16.75 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.6% more for clothing
South Korea | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $66.46 ₩102K | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $50.68 ₩77,813 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $72.74 ₩112K | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $103.23 ₩158K | $133.22 | |
South Korea vs. District of Columbia - 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: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: South Korea vs. District of Columbia
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in South Korea vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Korea and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about District of Columbia or South Korea. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.