Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Seoul 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Seoul are 17.7% lower than in Chicago, IL (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Seoul are 31.2% lower than in Chicago, IL
Rent Prices in Seoul are 52.2% lower than in Chicago, IL
Restaurant Prices in Seoul are 54.5% lower than in Chicago, IL
Groceries Prices in Seoul are 0.3% lower than in Chicago, IL
Local Purchasing Power in Seoul is 17.6% lower than in Chicago, IL
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $
(34,009.48 ₩)
8.09 $
(11,000.00 ₩)
     -67.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $
(136,037.92 ₩)
51.46 $
(70,000.00 ₩)
     -48.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $
(16,324.55 ₩)
5.88 $
(8,000.00 ₩)
     -51.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $
(10,883.03 ₩)
3.68 $
(5,000.00 ₩)
     -54.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $
(10,883.03 ₩)
5.15 $
(7,000.00 ₩)
     -35.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.19 $
(7,065.81 ₩)
3.85 $
(5,243.06 ₩)
     -25.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.99 $
(4,069.05 ₩)
1.55 $
(2,112.78 ₩)
     -48.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.39 $
(3,254.33 ₩)
0.82 $
(1,109.16 ₩)
     -65.9 %
Markets
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.04 $
(5,497.69 ₩)
8.18 $
(11,129.56 ₩)
     +102.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.84 $
(5,221.89 ₩)
2.77 $
(3,774.59 ₩)
     -27.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.85 $
(3,876.82 ₩)
1.55 $
(2,108.33 ₩)
     -45.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.07 $
(5,543.25 ₩)
3.29 $
(4,478.65 ₩)
     -19.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.52 $
(10,228.21 ₩)
5.38 $
(7,316.03 ₩)
     -28.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.74 $
(9,164.96 ₩)
4.78 $
(6,501.09 ₩)
     -29.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.46 $
(12,874.30 ₩)
17.24 $
(23,449.70 ₩)
     +82.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.70 $
(3,666.43 ₩)
3.07 $
(4,169.67 ₩)
     +13.7 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.89 $
(1,217.27 ₩)
1.59 $
(2,157.66 ₩)
     +77.3 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.10 $
(2,855.66 ₩)
2.57 $
(3,500.22 ₩)
     +22.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.24 $
(3,043.49 ₩)
2.72 $
(3,703.44 ₩)
     +21.7 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.19 $
(1,623.63 ₩)
1.89 $
(2,568.66 ₩)
     +58.2 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.35 $
(1,834.15 ₩)
1.43 $
(1,942.95 ₩)
     +5.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.25 $
(3,058.02 ₩)
2.47 $
(3,361.20 ₩)
     +9.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.62 $
(3,559.09 ₩)
1.12 $
(1,526.74 ₩)
     -57.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(20,405.69 ₩)
18.38 $
(25,000.00 ₩)
     +22.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.43 $
(3,307.66 ₩)
2.59 $
(3,525.20 ₩)
     +6.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.31 $
(5,864.93 ₩)
2.85 $
(3,876.93 ₩)
     -33.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 16.50 $
(22,446.26 ₩)
3.31 $
(4,500.00 ₩)
     -80.0 %
Transportation
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(3,400.95 ₩)
1.07 $
(1,450.00 ₩)
     -57.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 $
(108,830.33 ₩)
44.84 $
(61,000.00 ₩)
     -43.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.25 $
(4,421.23 ₩)
3.53 $
(4,800.00 ₩)
     +8.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.25 $
(3,060.85 ₩)
1.18 $
(1,609.34 ₩)
     -47.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $
(34,009.48 ₩)
8.82 $
(12,000.00 ₩)
     -64.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.21 $
(5,732.02 ₩)
4.67 $
(6,359.53 ₩)
     +10.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 37,383.69 $
(50,855,993.81 ₩)
27,735.65 $
(37,731,000.00 ₩)
     -25.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,211.87 $
(37,018,463.53 ₩)
25,324.48 $
(34,450,892.86 ₩)
     -6.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 157.44 $
(214,174.88 ₩)
180.36 $
(245,357.30 ₩)
     +14.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 54.48 $
(74,111.09 ₩)
44.39 $
(60,381.58 ₩)
     -18.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 57.38 $
(78,063.09 ₩)
23.79 $
(32,361.65 ₩)
     -58.5 %
Sports And Leisure
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 78.67 $
(107,016.50 ₩)
52.21 $
(71,031.75 ₩)
     -33.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 6.25 $
(8,502.37 ₩)
21.04 $
(28,620.00 ₩)
     +236.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $
(20,405.69 ₩)
11.03 $
(15,000.00 ₩)
     -26.5 %
Childcare
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,170.00 $
(2,952,022.84 ₩)
380.65 $
(517,833.33 ₩)
     -82.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 45,450.00 $
(61,829,234.05 ₩)
20,328.56 $
(27,654,545.45 ₩)
     -55.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 60.46 $
(82,252.67 ₩)
61.24 $
(83,308.30 ₩)
     +1.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 53.75 $
(73,120.38 ₩)
44.59 $
(60,656.82 ₩)
     -17.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 97.19 $
(132,217.35 ₩)
85.67 $
(116,545.45 ₩)
     -11.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 128.06 $
(174,213.56 ₩)
126.91 $
(172,647.06 ₩)
     -0.9 %
Rent Per Month
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,446.74 $
(3,328,492.99 ₩)
858.04 $
(1,167,261.47 ₩)
     -64.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,507.04 $
(2,050,143.76 ₩)
517.90 $
(704,545.45 ₩)
     -65.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,608.70 $
(6,269,573.64 ₩)
2,689.28 $
(3,658,440.06 ₩)
     -41.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,963.64 $
(4,031,669.23 ₩)
1,439.45 $
(1,958,192.24 ₩)
     -51.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 334.28 $
(454,751.54 ₩)
1,760.78 $
(2,395,334.46 ₩)
     +426.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 260.01 $
(353,709.42 ₩)
1,009.09 $
(1,372,751.55 ₩)
     +288.1 %
Salaries And Financing
Chicago, IL Edit Seoul Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,073.92 $
(6,902,449.20 ₩)
2,875.11 $
(3,911,241.37 ₩)
     -43.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.64 5.11      -23.1 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:219212