Cost of living comparison
South Korea is 22.0% cheaper than United States.
If you lived in South Korea instead of United States, you would:
pay 52.4% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.15
|
$6.13
₩8,187
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.28
|
$5.18
₩6,917
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
|
$1.41
₩1,879
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$0.67
₩901
|
|
pay 20.1% more for groceries
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.17
|
$2.74
₩3,664
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.93
|
$8.12
₩10,844
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$7.20
₩9,617
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.01
|
$2.73
₩3,649
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.32
|
$3.58
₩4,788
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.90
₩3,868
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.51
₩2,017
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.66
₩3,555
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$2.29
₩3,062
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.40
₩1,866
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.08
₩1,448
|
|
pay 7.0% less for transportation
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.72
|
$4.92
₩6,578
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.08
|
$43.73
₩58,407
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,096.27
|
$28,660.56
₩38,280,615
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.64
|
$9.34
₩12,469
|
|
pay 60.2% less for housing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.73
|
$21.09
₩28,168
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,528.07
|
$392.42
₩524,140
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,282.97
|
$302.43
₩403,942
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.81
|
$111.18
₩148,493
|
|
pay 25.4% less for childcare
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,137.97
|
$342.96
₩458,070
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,943.15
|
$18,987.50
₩25,360,750
|
|
pay 30.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.19
|
$2.92
₩3,898
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.51
|
$3.29
₩4,393
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.57
|
$3.45
₩4,608
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.79
|
$44.03
₩58,804
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.04
|
$8.93
₩11,922
|
|
pay 1.5% more for clothing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.40
|
$48.44
₩64,702
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.73
|
$44.60
₩59,569
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.51
|
$75.46
₩100,785
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.59
|
$91.03
₩121,590
|
|
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