Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
New York is 78.8% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4 times more in New York
- Groceries
-
pay 11.0% less in New York
- Transportation
-
pay 28.6% more in New York
- Housing
-
pay 3.2 times more in New York
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in New York
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 58.2% more in New York
- Clothing
-
pay 4.5% less in New York
The cost of housing, restaurants, childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation in New York are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in New York. Notably, housing, restaurants, and childcare are significantly more expensive in New York.
New York vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.06
₩9,343
|
$21.61
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.17
₩8,161
|
$12.15
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.53
₩2,022
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
₩1,171
|
$1.95
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.0% less for groceries
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.04
₩4,021
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.12
₩8,105
|
$6.62
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.23
₩10,890
|
$4.20
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.94
₩3,890
|
$4.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.11
₩5,438
|
$5.68
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.00
₩5,297
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.55
₩2,051
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.00
₩3,966
|
$2.16
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
₩3,484
|
$2.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.03
₩2,692
|
$1.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
₩1,671
|
$1.53
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of groceries
pay 28.6% more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.01
₩6,628
|
$4.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.10
₩61,021
|
$99.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,394.53
₩38M
|
$34,323.33
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.59
₩11,373
|
$19.12
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2 times more for housing
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.34
₩32,217
|
$67.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$561.73
₩743K
|
$2,049.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$387.83
₩513K
|
$1,695.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.72
₩203K
|
$157.44
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$545.93
₩723K
|
$1,922.82
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,214.53
₩27M
|
$27,489.62
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of childcare
pay 58.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.30
₩4,366
|
$6.72
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.66
₩4,847
|
$5.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.35
₩4,430
|
$14.10
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.32
₩75,865
|
$61.08
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.28
₩14,936
|
$15.30
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.5% less for clothing
|
South Korea
|
New York
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.53
₩89,381
|
$51.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.43
₩70,717
|
$44.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.10
₩103K
|
$92.29
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.84
₩136K
|
$113.37
|
|
South Korea vs. New York - Cost of clothing
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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cost of living in South Korea vs. United States.
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