Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and Seoul 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Seoul are 18.7% lower than in Washington, DC (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Seoul are 36.3% lower than in Washington, DC
Rent Prices in Seoul are 59.8% lower than in Washington, DC
Restaurant Prices in Seoul are 54.7% lower than in Washington, DC
Groceries Prices in Seoul are 8.0% higher than in Washington, DC
Local Purchasing Power in Seoul is 25.1% lower than in Washington, DC
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $
(33,995.66 ₩)
8.09 $
(11,000.00 ₩)
     -67.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $
(135,982.64 ₩)
51.48 $
(70,000.00 ₩)
     -48.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $
(16,317.92 ₩)
5.88 $
(8,000.00 ₩)
     -51.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 $
(10,878.61 ₩)
3.68 $
(5,000.00 ₩)
     -54.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 9.00 $
(12,238.44 ₩)
5.15 $
(7,000.00 ₩)
     -42.8 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.48 $
(7,456.18 ₩)
3.85 $
(5,235.33 ₩)
     -29.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.48 $
(3,374.84 ₩)
1.55 $
(2,112.65 ₩)
     -37.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.25 $
(3,063.69 ₩)
0.82 $
(1,109.09 ₩)
     -63.8 %
Markets
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.27 $
(5,800.51 ₩)
8.18 $
(11,120.05 ₩)
     +91.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.52 $
(4,789.15 ₩)
2.78 $
(3,780.27 ₩)
     -21.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.32 $
(3,151.88 ₩)
1.55 $
(2,108.12 ₩)
     -33.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.95 $
(5,367.13 ₩)
3.29 $
(4,478.47 ₩)
     -16.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.40 $
(8,705.45 ₩)
5.37 $
(7,299.35 ₩)
     -16.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.74 $
(7,802.59 ₩)
4.66 $
(6,335.85 ₩)
     -18.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.97 $
(10,832.24 ₩)
17.24 $
(23,449.70 ₩)
     +116.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.34 $
(3,184.37 ₩)
3.05 $
(4,152.23 ₩)
     +30.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.93 $
(1,269.62 ₩)
1.60 $
(2,171.29 ₩)
     +71.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.28 $
(3,103.86 ₩)
2.60 $
(3,535.47 ₩)
     +13.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.56 $
(3,481.17 ₩)
2.74 $
(3,731.84 ₩)
     +7.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.57 $
(2,133.62 ₩)
1.91 $
(2,591.75 ₩)
     +21.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.54 $
(2,097.41 ₩)
1.43 $
(1,942.88 ₩)
     -7.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.78 $
(3,779.18 ₩)
2.44 $
(3,315.74 ₩)
     -12.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.67 $
(3,624.46 ₩)
1.12 $
(1,526.67 ₩)
     -57.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 16.00 $
(21,757.22 ₩)
18.38 $
(25,000.00 ₩)
     +14.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.30 $
(3,127.05 ₩)
2.59 $
(3,525.02 ₩)
     +12.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.63 $
(6,299.40 ₩)
2.85 $
(3,876.72 ₩)
     -38.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 12.11 $
(16,460.70 ₩)
3.31 $
(4,500.00 ₩)
     -72.7 %
Transportation
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(3,399.57 ₩)
1.07 $
(1,450.00 ₩)
     -57.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 $
(108,786.11 ₩)
44.86 $
(61,000.00 ₩)
     -43.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.50 $
(4,759.39 ₩)
3.53 $
(4,800.00 ₩)
     +0.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.51 $
(4,776.78 ₩)
1.18 $
(1,609.34 ₩)
     -66.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(40,794.79 ₩)
8.82 $
(12,000.00 ₩)
     -70.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.64 $
(4,943.53 ₩)
4.68 $
(6,359.53 ₩)
     +28.6 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 35,699.74 $
(48,545,447.43 ₩)
27,746.93 $
(37,731,000.00 ₩)
     -22.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,275.78 $
(35,730,498.22 ₩)
25,334.77 $
(34,450,892.86 ₩)
     -3.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 171.50 $
(233,206.89 ₩)
180.43 $
(245,357.30 ₩)
     +5.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 58.82 $
(79,989.79 ₩)
44.40 $
(60,381.58 ₩)
     -24.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 63.57 $
(86,448.69 ₩)
23.80 $
(32,359.98 ₩)
     -62.6 %
Sports And Leisure
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 104.29 $
(141,810.46 ₩)
52.24 $
(71,031.75 ₩)
     -49.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 31.22 $
(42,449.25 ₩)
21.05 $
(28,620.00 ₩)
     -32.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 16.68 $
(22,681.90 ₩)
11.03 $
(15,000.00 ₩)
     -33.9 %
Childcare
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,326.57 $
(3,163,733.15 ₩)
380.81 $
(517,833.33 ₩)
     -83.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 51,000.00 $
(69,351,144.26 ₩)
20,336.82 $
(27,654,545.45 ₩)
     -60.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 73.41 $
(99,826.80 ₩)
61.26 $
(83,308.30 ₩)
     -16.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 50.96 $
(69,293.35 ₩)
44.61 $
(60,656.82 ₩)
     -12.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 115.93 $
(157,644.67 ₩)
85.71 $
(116,545.45 ₩)
     -26.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 173.48 $
(235,906.76 ₩)
126.96 $
(172,647.06 ₩)
     -26.8 %
Rent Per Month
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,519.32 $
(3,425,835.27 ₩)
858.34 $
(1,167,198.64 ₩)
     -65.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,058.28 $
(2,798,900.37 ₩)
518.11 $
(704,545.45 ₩)
     -74.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,360.53 $
(7,289,384.98 ₩)
2,690.21 $
(3,658,220.69 ₩)
     -49.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,754.41 $
(5,105,348.08 ₩)
1,439.92 $
(1,958,041.43 ₩)
     -61.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 910.84 $
(1,238,581.81 ₩)
1,761.35 $
(2,395,126.44 ₩)
     +93.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 625.87 $
(851,072.64 ₩)
1,009.45 $
(1,372,682.69 ₩)
     +61.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Washington, DC Edit Seoul Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,033.45 $
(8,204,446.53 ₩)
2,876.19 $
(3,911,122.42 ₩)
     -52.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.55 5.11      -22.0 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:137211