Cost of living comparison
South Korea is 17.5% cheaper than United States.
If you lived in South Korea instead of United States, you would:
pay 49.2% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.20
|
$5.80
₩7,517
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.21
|
$5.13
₩6,649
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
|
$1.26
₩1,631
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.60
|
$0.64
₩825
|
|
pay 26.9% more for groceries
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.85
|
$2.20
₩2,847
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.66
|
$7.30
₩9,458
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.38
|
$7.50
₩9,713
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.72
|
$2.76
₩3,580
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.69
|
$3.65
₩4,726
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$3.19
₩4,134
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.65
₩2,131
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.06
₩2,667
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.99
|
$2.43
₩3,142
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$1.38
₩1,789
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.00
₩1,294
|
|
pay 11.8% less for transportation
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.54
|
$4.89
₩6,331
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.19
|
$43.92
₩56,893
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,050.13
|
$27,663.40
₩35,831,852
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.53
|
$10.19
₩13,203
|
|
pay 59.4% less for housing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.65
|
$21.80
₩28,238
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,446.14
|
$441.56
₩571,944
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,166.13
|
$339.99
₩440,376
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.57
|
$94.20
₩122,020
|
|
pay 5.6% less for childcare
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$980.97
|
$413.38
₩535,448
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,983.58
|
$21,977.08
₩28,466,471
|
|
pay 27.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.14
|
$2.75
₩3,559
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.34
|
$3.38
₩4,384
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.25
|
$3.50
₩4,539
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.54
|
$44.78
₩58,008
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.80
|
$9.09
₩11,768
|
|
pay 4.2% more for clothing
|
United States
|
South Korea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.10
|
$51.38
₩66,555
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.31
|
$39.41
₩51,044
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.71
|
$69.36
₩89,843
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$98.75
|
$101.01
₩130,833
|
|
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