Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Washington, DC 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Washington, DC are 22.9% higher than in Seoul (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Washington, DC are 57.1% higher than in Seoul
Rent Prices in Washington, DC are 148.5% higher than in Seoul
Restaurant Prices in Washington, DC are 120.6% higher than in Seoul
Groceries Prices in Washington, DC are 7.4% lower than in Seoul
Local Purchasing Power in Washington, DC is 33.6% higher than in Seoul
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 11,000.00 ₩
(8.09 $)
33,995.66 ₩
(25.00 $)
     +209.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 70,000.00 ₩
(51.48 $)
135,982.64 ₩
(100.00 $)
     +94.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 8,000.00 ₩
(5.88 $)
16,317.92 ₩
(12.00 $)
     +104.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 5,000.00 ₩
(3.68 $)
10,878.61 ₩
(8.00 $)
     +117.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7,000.00 ₩
(5.15 $)
12,238.44 ₩
(9.00 $)
     +74.8 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5,235.33 ₩
(3.85 $)
7,456.18 ₩
(5.48 $)
     +42.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2,112.65 ₩
(1.55 $)
3,374.84 ₩
(2.48 $)
     +59.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1,109.09 ₩
(0.82 $)
3,063.69 ₩
(2.25 $)
     +176.2 %
Markets
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 11,120.05 ₩
(8.18 $)
5,800.51 ₩
(4.27 $)
     -47.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3,780.27 ₩
(2.78 $)
4,789.15 ₩
(3.52 $)
     +26.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2,108.12 ₩
(1.55 $)
3,151.88 ₩
(2.32 $)
     +49.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4,478.47 ₩
(3.29 $)
5,367.13 ₩
(3.95 $)
     +19.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7,299.35 ₩
(5.37 $)
8,705.45 ₩
(6.40 $)
     +19.3 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6,335.85 ₩
(4.66 $)
7,802.59 ₩
(5.74 $)
     +23.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 23,449.70 ₩
(17.24 $)
10,832.24 ₩
(7.97 $)
     -53.8 %
Apples (1 lb) 4,152.23 ₩
(3.05 $)
3,184.37 ₩
(2.34 $)
     -23.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 2,171.29 ₩
(1.60 $)
1,269.62 ₩
(0.93 $)
     -41.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3,535.47 ₩
(2.60 $)
3,103.86 ₩
(2.28 $)
     -12.2 %
Tomato (1 lb) 3,731.84 ₩
(2.74 $)
3,481.17 ₩
(2.56 $)
     -6.7 %
Potato (1 lb) 2,591.75 ₩
(1.91 $)
2,133.62 ₩
(1.57 $)
     -17.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 1,942.88 ₩
(1.43 $)
2,097.41 ₩
(1.54 $)
     +8.0 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3,315.74 ₩
(2.44 $)
3,779.18 ₩
(2.78 $)
     +14.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1,526.67 ₩
(1.12 $)
3,624.46 ₩
(2.67 $)
     +137.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 25,000.00 ₩
(18.38 $)
21,757.22 ₩
(16.00 $)
     -13.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 3,525.02 ₩
(2.59 $)
3,127.05 ₩
(2.30 $)
     -11.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3,876.72 ₩
(2.85 $)
6,299.40 ₩
(4.63 $)
     +62.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 4,500.00 ₩
(3.31 $)
16,460.70 ₩
(12.11 $)
     +265.8 %
Transportation
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1,450.00 ₩
(1.07 $)
3,399.57 ₩
(2.50 $)
     +134.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 61,000.00 ₩
(44.86 $)
108,786.11 ₩
(80.00 $)
     +78.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4,800.00 ₩
(3.53 $)
4,759.39 ₩
(3.50 $)
     -0.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1,609.34 ₩
(1.18 $)
4,776.78 ₩
(3.51 $)
     +196.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 12,000.00 ₩
(8.82 $)
40,794.79 ₩
(30.00 $)
     +240.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6,359.53 ₩
(4.68 $)
4,943.53 ₩
(3.64 $)
     -22.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 37,731,000.00 ₩
(27,746.93 $)
48,545,447.43 ₩
(35,699.74 $)
     +28.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 34,450,892.86 ₩
(25,334.77 $)
35,730,498.22 ₩
(26,275.78 $)
     +3.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 245,357.30 ₩
(180.43 $)
233,206.89 ₩
(171.50 $)
     -5.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 60,381.58 ₩
(44.40 $)
79,989.79 ₩
(58.82 $)
     +32.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 32,359.98 ₩
(23.80 $)
86,448.69 ₩
(63.57 $)
     +167.1 %
Sports And Leisure
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 71,031.75 ₩
(52.24 $)
141,810.46 ₩
(104.29 $)
     +99.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 28,620.00 ₩
(21.05 $)
42,449.25 ₩
(31.22 $)
     +48.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15,000.00 ₩
(11.03 $)
22,681.90 ₩
(16.68 $)
     +51.2 %
Childcare
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 517,833.33 ₩
(380.81 $)
3,163,733.15 ₩
(2,326.57 $)
     +511.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,654,545.45 ₩
(20,336.82 $)
69,351,144.26 ₩
(51,000.00 $)
     +150.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 83,308.30 ₩
(61.26 $)
99,826.80 ₩
(73.41 $)
     +19.8 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 60,656.82 ₩
(44.61 $)
69,293.35 ₩
(50.96 $)
     +14.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 116,545.45 ₩
(85.71 $)
157,644.67 ₩
(115.93 $)
     +35.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 172,647.06 ₩
(126.96 $)
235,906.76 ₩
(173.48 $)
     +36.6 %
Rent Per Month
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,167,198.64 ₩
(858.34 $)
3,425,835.27 ₩
(2,519.32 $)
     +193.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 704,545.45 ₩
(518.11 $)
2,798,900.37 ₩
(2,058.28 $)
     +297.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,658,220.69 ₩
(2,690.21 $)
7,289,384.98 ₩
(5,360.53 $)
     +99.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,958,041.43 ₩
(1,439.92 $)
5,105,348.08 ₩
(3,754.41 $)
     +160.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 2,395,126.44 ₩
(1,761.35 $)
1,238,581.81 ₩
(910.84 $)
     -48.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,372,682.69 ₩
(1,009.45 $)
851,072.64 ₩
(625.87 $)
     -38.0 %
Salaries And Financing
Seoul Edit Washington, DC Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 3,911,122.42 ₩
(2,876.19 $)
8,204,446.53 ₩
(6,033.45 $)
     +109.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.11 6.55      +28.3 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:211137