Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 9.4% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.2% more in South Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 2.3 times more in South Korea
- Transportation
-
pay 0.7% more in South Korea
- Housing
-
pay 50.4% less in South Korea
- Childcare
-
pay 30.3% more in South Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 41.0% less in South Korea
- Clothing
-
pay 15.1% less in South Korea
The cost of groceries, childcare, restaurants, and transportation in South Korea are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Korea. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in South Korea.
South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 13.2% more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
AED29.06
|
$6.72
₩9,865
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
$5.50
₩8,068
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.04
AED3.83
|
$1.47
₩2,152
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
AED1.85
|
$0.82
₩1,211
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.3 times more for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
$2.87
₩4,217
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.36
AED19.68
|
$5.63
₩8,255
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.96
AED25.56
|
$7.67
₩11,264
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
$2.84
₩4,162
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$3.34
₩4,896
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
AED3.59
|
$3.24
₩4,748
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
AED2.75
|
$1.39
₩2,037
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.73
AED2.69
|
$2.80
₩4,104
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
AED2.15
|
$2.40
₩3,528
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.76
|
$1.78
₩2,616
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.93
|
$1.20
₩1,767
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 0.7% more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.91
AED10.69
|
$4.40
₩6,458
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.10
AED195.00
|
$47.17
₩69,233
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
$26,440.41
₩38,804,738
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.50
AED31.21
|
$8.33
₩12,228
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 50.4% less for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
$21.68
₩31,824
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
$473.91
₩695,518
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
$357.19
₩524,216
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
$132.53
₩194,509
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 30.3% more for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
$378.52
₩555,533
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
$15,055.40
₩22,095,763
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 41.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.43
AED38.31
|
$3.12
₩4,576
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.32
|
$3.57
₩5,236
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
$3.18
₩4,673
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.55
AED277.45
|
$49.86
₩73,176
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.19
AED48.44
|
$10.12
₩14,850
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.1% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
$66.46
₩97,538
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
$50.68
₩74,384
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
$72.74
₩106,755
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.53
AED391.23
|
$103.23
₩151,509
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Korea - 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: December 2025
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