Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Korea vs. United Kingdom Cost of Living Summary
South Korea is 25.4% cheaper than United Kingdom overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 49.6% less in South Korea
- Groceries
-
pay 65.0% more in South Korea
- Transportation
-
pay 45.2% less in South Korea
- Housing
-
pay 55.2% less in South Korea
- Childcare
-
pay 48.8% less in South Korea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 36.3% less in South Korea
- Clothing
-
pay 7.4% less in South Korea
Expenses including housing, restaurants, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Korea.
South Korea vs. United Kingdom Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Korea instead of United Kingdom, you would:
pay 49.6% less for restaurants
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.41
£15.25
|
$6.72
₩9,920
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.94
£7.43
|
$5.50
₩8,112
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
£1.74
|
$1.47
₩2,164
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.65
£1.23
|
$0.82
₩1,217
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of restaurants
pay 65.0% more for groceries
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
£1.19
|
$2.87
₩4,241
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
£3.52
|
$5.63
₩8,301
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.20
£4.64
|
$7.67
₩11,326
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
£2.89
|
$2.84
₩4,186
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
£2.89
|
$3.34
₩4,923
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.32
£0.99
|
$3.24
₩4,775
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
£0.55
|
$1.39
₩2,048
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.28
£0.96
|
$2.80
₩4,127
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
£1.12
|
$2.40
₩3,548
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
£0.54
|
$1.78
₩2,630
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
£0.53
|
$1.20
₩1,777
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of groceries
pay 45.2% less for transportation
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
£5.40
|
$4.40
₩6,494
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.05
£74.04
|
$47.17
₩69,616
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,224.29
£27,077.51
|
$26,440.41
₩39,019,698
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.08
£16.51
|
$8.33
₩12,296
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of transportation
pay 55.2% less for housing
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.90
£31.32
|
$21.68
₩32,001
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,285.79
£961.12
|
$473.91
₩699,370
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,062.09
£793.91
|
$357.19
₩527,120
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$233.57
£174.59
|
$132.53
₩195,586
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of housing
pay 48.8% less for childcare
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,530.71
£1,144.20
|
$378.52
₩558,610
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,375.12
£14,482.82
|
$15,055.40
₩22,218,164
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of childcare
pay 36.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.35
£4.74
|
$3.12
₩4,602
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.54
£3.39
|
$3.57
₩5,265
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.18
£14.33
|
$3.18
₩4,699
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.26
£36.82
|
$49.86
₩73,581
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.88
£10.38
|
$10.12
₩14,932
|
|
United Kingdom vs. South Korea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.4% less for clothing
|
United Kingdom
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$86.00
£64.28
|
$66.46
₩98,079
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.20
£33.04
|
$50.68
₩74,796
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.21
£71.17
|
$72.74
₩107,346
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$101.36
£75.76
|
$103.23
₩152,349
|
|
United Kingdom 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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