Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in South Korea:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in United States are 16.7% higher than in South Korea (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in United States are 45.4% higher than in South Korea
Rent Prices in United States are 164.4% higher than in South Korea
Restaurant Prices in United States are 111.0% higher than in South Korea
Groceries Prices in United States are 7.8% lower than in South Korea
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 30.2% higher than in South Korea

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	South Korea Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	10,000.00 ₩ (7.32 $)	27,318.25 ₩ (20.00 $)	+173.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	50,000.00 ₩ (36.61 $)	102,443.44 ₩ (75.00 $)	+104.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	8,000.00 ₩ (5.86 $)	14,758.68 ₩ (10.80 $)	+84.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4,500.00 ₩ (3.29 $)	8,195.48 ₩ (6.00 $)	+82.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	6,000.00 ₩ (4.39 $)	9,561.39 ₩ (7.00 $)	+59.4 %
Cappuccino (regular)	4,977.21 ₩ (3.64 $)	6,962.29 ₩ (5.10 $)	+39.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,973.29 ₩ (1.44 $)	3,391.07 ₩ (2.48 $)	+71.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1,033.92 ₩ (0.76 $)	2,797.65 ₩ (2.05 $)	+170.6 %
Markets	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	10,816.60 ₩ (7.92 $)	5,462.13 ₩ (4.00 $)	-49.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3,619.99 ₩ (2.65 $)	4,411.73 ₩ (3.23 $)	+21.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1,907.84 ₩ (1.40 $)	2,819.94 ₩ (2.06 $)	+47.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4,269.21 ₩ (3.13 $)	5,053.59 ₩ (3.70 $)	+18.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	7,425.59 ₩ (5.44 $)	7,937.66 ₩ (5.81 $)	+6.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5,311.53 ₩ (3.89 $)	7,499.91 ₩ (5.49 $)	+41.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	19,053.60 ₩ (13.95 $)	9,934.98 ₩ (7.27 $)	-47.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	4,135.81 ₩ (3.03 $)	3,276.95 ₩ (2.40 $)	-20.8 %
Banana (1 lb)	2,084.29 ₩ (1.53 $)	1,037.85 ₩ (0.76 $)	-50.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	3,491.48 ₩ (2.56 $)	2,775.67 ₩ (2.03 $)	-20.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3,347.95 ₩ (2.45 $)	3,028.22 ₩ (2.22 $)	-9.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	2,420.27 ₩ (1.77 $)	1,859.48 ₩ (1.36 $)	-23.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	1,806.20 ₩ (1.32 $)	1,881.12 ₩ (1.38 $)	+4.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3,223.46 ₩ (2.36 $)	2,946.83 ₩ (2.16 $)	-8.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,435.51 ₩ (1.05 $)	2,984.47 ₩ (2.18 $)	+107.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	20,000.00 ₩ (14.64 $)	20,488.69 ₩ (15.00 $)	+2.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2,908.72 ₩ (2.13 $)	2,420.88 ₩ (1.77 $)	-16.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3,602.87 ₩ (2.64 $)	4,846.24 ₩ (3.55 $)	+34.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	4,500.00 ₩ (3.29 $)	13,659.13 ₩ (10.00 $)	+203.5 %
Transportation	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	1,450.00 ₩ (1.06 $)	3,414.78 ₩ (2.50 $)	+135.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	60,000.00 ₩ (43.93 $)	98,345.70 ₩ (72.00 $)	+63.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4,000.00 ₩ (2.93 $)	5,108.51 ₩ (3.74 $)	+27.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₩ (1.18 $)	3,756.26 ₩ (2.75 $)	+133.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	12,000.00 ₩ (8.79 $)	40,977.38 ₩ (30.00 $)	+241.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6,297.58 ₩ (4.61 $)	4,988.43 ₩ (3.65 $)	-20.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	37,731,000.00 ₩ (27,623.29 $)	45,558,645.56 ₩ (33,354.00 $)	+20.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	32,358,800.79 ₩ (23,690.24 $)	35,637,766.02 ₩ (26,090.81 $)	+10.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	224,013.39 ₩ (164.00 $)	277,817.32 ₩ (203.39 $)	+24.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	62,460.23 ₩ (45.73 $)	71,485.35 ₩ (52.34 $)	+14.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	29,570.33 ₩ (21.65 $)	96,468.99 ₩ (70.63 $)	+226.2 %
Sports And Leisure	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	62,466.65 ₩ (45.73 $)	64,213.16 ₩ (47.01 $)	+2.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	22,491.11 ₩ (16.47 $)	30,048.86 ₩ (22.00 $)	+33.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	15,000.00 ₩ (10.98 $)	19,122.78 ₩ (14.00 $)	+27.5 %
Childcare	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	473,666.67 ₩ (346.78 $)	1,880,200.66 ₩ (1,376.52 $)	+296.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	28,068,166.70 ₩ (20,549.02 $)	31,415,276.33 ₩ (22,999.48 $)	+11.9 %
Clothing And Shoes	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	77,394.21 ₩ (56.66 $)	70,965.15 ₩ (51.95 $)	-8.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	57,005.03 ₩ (41.73 $)	58,141.08 ₩ (42.57 $)	+2.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	109,019.61 ₩ (79.81 $)	120,668.08 ₩ (88.34 $)	+10.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	151,334.69 ₩ (110.79 $)	155,284.68 ₩ (113.69 $)	+2.6 %
Rent Per Month	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	685,468.75 ₩ (501.84 $)	2,398,186.39 ₩ (1,755.74 $)	+249.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	485,781.60 ₩ (355.65 $)	1,973,139.97 ₩ (1,444.56 $)	+306.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,019,090.91 ₩ (1,478.20 $)	4,026,942.72 ₩ (2,948.17 $)	+99.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,222,500.00 ₩ (895.01 $)	3,269,405.19 ₩ (2,393.57 $)	+167.4 %
Buy Apartment Price	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	1,472,232.73 ₩ (1,077.84 $)	424,963.35 ₩ (311.12 $)	-71.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	975,541.66 ₩ (714.21 $)	344,592.76 ₩ (252.28 $)	-64.7 %
Salaries And Financing	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	3,270,871.55 ₩ (2,394.64 $)	6,194,460.66 ₩ (4,535.03 $)	+89.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	4.69	6.56	+40.0 %
Last update:	May 2024	May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	348	11363

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