Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wisconsin vs. South Korea Cost of Living Summary
Wisconsin is 34.7% more expensive than South Korea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.0 times more in Wisconsin
- Groceries
-
pay 28.1% less in Wisconsin
- Transportation
-
pay 0.7% more in Wisconsin
- Housing
-
pay 2.1 times more in Wisconsin
- Childcare
-
pay 82.7% more in Wisconsin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.1% more in Wisconsin
- Clothing
-
pay 13.0% less in Wisconsin
The cost of housing, restaurants, childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Wisconsin are more expensive than in South Korea. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in Wisconsin. Notably, housing, restaurants, and childcare are significantly more expensive in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin vs. South Korea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wisconsin instead of South Korea, you would:
pay 2.0 times more for restaurants
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.06
₩9,413
|
$16.96
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.17
₩8,222
|
$10.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.53
₩2,037
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.88
₩1,180
|
$1.87
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of restaurants
pay 28.1% less for groceries
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.04
₩4,051
|
$2.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.12
₩8,166
|
$5.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.23
₩10,971
|
$3.16
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.94
₩3,919
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.11
₩5,479
|
$4.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.00
₩5,336
|
$2.16
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.55
₩2,067
|
$0.68
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.00
₩3,996
|
$1.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
₩3,510
|
$2.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.03
₩2,713
|
$0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
₩1,683
|
$1.31
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of groceries
pay 0.7% more for transportation
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.01
₩6,678
|
$3.52
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.10
₩61,477
|
$50.22
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,394.53
₩38M
|
$32,142.07
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.59
₩11,459
|
$17.59
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of transportation
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.34
₩32,458
|
$63.31
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$561.73
₩749K
|
$1,248.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$387.83
₩517K
|
$984.41
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.72
₩205K
|
$143.84
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of housing
pay 82.7% more for childcare
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$545.93
₩728K
|
$1,398.68
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,214.53
₩27M
|
$26,322.35
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of childcare
pay 23.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.30
₩4,398
|
$4.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.66
₩4,884
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.35
₩4,463
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.32
₩76,432
|
$44.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.28
₩15,047
|
$11.78
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.0% less for clothing
|
South Korea
|
Wisconsin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.53
₩90,049
|
$49.95
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.43
₩71,245
|
$41.09
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.10
₩104K
|
$83.98
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.84
₩137K
|
$96.26
|
|
South Korea vs. Wisconsin - 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 November 2026). How we calculate this
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cost of living in South Korea vs. United States.
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