Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
United States is 84.6% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.3 times more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 1.0% less in United States
- Transportation
- pay 37.7% more in United States
- Housing
- pay 2.9 times more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 2.6 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 76.1% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 2.9% less in United States
The cost of housing, childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation in United States are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in United States. Notably, housing, childcare, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in United States.
United States vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.72 ₩10,320 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.50 ₩8,440 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.47 ₩2,251 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.82 ₩1,266 | $2.00 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.0% less for groceries
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.87 ₩4,412 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.63 ₩8,636 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.67 ₩11,783 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.84 ₩4,354 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.34 ₩5,122 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $3.24 ₩4,967 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.39 ₩2,131 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.80 ₩4,293 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.40 ₩3,691 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.78 ₩2,736 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.20 ₩1,849 | $1.38 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 37.7% more for transportation
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.40 ₩6,756 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $47.17 ₩72,425 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,440.41 ₩41M | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $8.33 ₩12,792 | $17.61 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 2.9 times more for housing
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $21.68 ₩33,291 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $473.91 ₩728K | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $357.19 ₩548K | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $132.53 ₩203K | $150.19 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $378.52 ₩581K | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,055.40 ₩23M | $23,196.46 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 76.1% more for entertainment and sports
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $3.12 ₩4,787 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.57 ₩5,478 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.18 ₩4,888 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $49.86 ₩76,549 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.12 ₩15,534 | $13.64 | |
South Korea vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.9% less for clothing
South Korea | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $66.46 ₩102K | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $50.68 ₩77,813 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $72.74 ₩112K | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $103.23 ₩158K | $112.04 | |
South Korea vs. United States - 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
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