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
Cost of Living in United States is 11.5% higher than in South Korea (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 40.5% higher than in South Korea
Rent Prices in United States are 180.9% higher than in South Korea
Restaurant Prices in United States are 104.1% higher than in South Korea
Groceries Prices in United States are 8.0% lower than in South Korea
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 31.1% 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 ₩ (7.22 $)	27,719.82 ₩ (20.00 $)	+177.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	50,000.00 ₩ (36.08 $)	103,949.32 ₩ (75.00 $)	+107.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	8,000.00 ₩ (5.77 $)	15,245.90 ₩ (11.00 $)	+90.6 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	4,500.00 ₩ (3.25 $)	8,315.95 ₩ (6.00 $)	+84.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	6,000.00 ₩ (4.33 $)	9,701.94 ₩ (7.00 $)	+61.7 %
Cappuccino (regular)	4,990.85 ₩ (3.60 $)	7,128.05 ₩ (5.14 $)	+42.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2,022.47 ₩ (1.46 $)	3,478.56 ₩ (2.51 $)	+72.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1,044.00 ₩ (0.75 $)	2,852.81 ₩ (2.06 $)	+173.3 %
Markets	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	10,852.98 ₩ (7.83 $)	5,533.52 ₩ (3.99 $)	-49.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3,738.45 ₩ (2.70 $)	4,508.10 ₩ (3.25 $)	+20.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1,919.02 ₩ (1.38 $)	2,860.41 ₩ (2.06 $)	+49.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4,312.86 ₩ (3.11 $)	5,091.61 ₩ (3.67 $)	+18.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	7,744.11 ₩ (5.59 $)	8,100.21 ₩ (5.84 $)	+4.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5,527.19 ₩ (3.99 $)	7,586.28 ₩ (5.47 $)	+37.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	18,966.73 ₩ (13.68 $)	10,069.21 ₩ (7.26 $)	-46.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	4,365.89 ₩ (3.15 $)	3,323.62 ₩ (2.40 $)	-23.9 %
Banana (1 lb)	2,104.43 ₩ (1.52 $)	1,052.56 ₩ (0.76 $)	-50.0 %
Oranges (1 lb)	3,559.97 ₩ (2.57 $)	2,828.63 ₩ (2.04 $)	-20.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3,326.73 ₩ (2.40 $)	3,090.62 ₩ (2.23 $)	-7.1 %
Potato (1 lb)	2,332.15 ₩ (1.68 $)	1,870.79 ₩ (1.35 $)	-19.8 %
Onion (1 lb)	1,819.92 ₩ (1.31 $)	1,923.18 ₩ (1.39 $)	+5.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3,311.45 ₩ (2.39 $)	3,011.05 ₩ (2.17 $)	-9.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,546.18 ₩ (1.12 $)	3,039.24 ₩ (2.19 $)	+96.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	21,625.00 ₩ (15.60 $)	20,789.86 ₩ (15.00 $)	-3.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2,979.80 ₩ (2.15 $)	2,513.93 ₩ (1.81 $)	-15.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3,629.07 ₩ (2.62 $)	4,872.21 ₩ (3.52 $)	+34.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	4,500.00 ₩ (3.25 $)	13,859.91 ₩ (10.00 $)	+208.0 %
Transportation	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	1,450.00 ₩ (1.05 $)	3,464.98 ₩ (2.50 $)	+139.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	62,000.00 ₩ (44.73 $)	97,019.36 ₩ (70.00 $)	+56.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4,400.00 ₩ (3.17 $)	4,850.97 ₩ (3.50 $)	+10.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,448.41 ₩ (1.05 $)	3,880.78 ₩ (2.80 $)	+167.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	12,000.00 ₩ (8.66 $)	41,579.73 ₩ (30.00 $)	+246.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	6,272.22 ₩ (4.53 $)	5,048.02 ₩ (3.64 $)	-19.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	37,731,000.00 ₩ (27,223.12 $)	46,681,121.19 ₩ (33,680.68 $)	+23.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	31,484,799.25 ₩ (22,716.45 $)	36,246,917.33 ₩ (26,152.35 $)	+15.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	222,237.79 ₩ (160.35 $)	288,168.07 ₩ (207.91 $)	+29.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	60,163.13 ₩ (43.41 $)	75,535.44 ₩ (54.50 $)	+25.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	29,260.00 ₩ (21.11 $)	98,508.21 ₩ (71.07 $)	+236.7 %
Sports And Leisure	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	63,433.04 ₩ (45.77 $)	65,447.81 ₩ (47.22 $)	+3.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	26,311.32 ₩ (18.98 $)	30,549.77 ₩ (22.04 $)	+16.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	15,000.00 ₩ (10.82 $)	19,403.87 ₩ (14.00 $)	+29.4 %
Childcare	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	477,279.92 ₩ (344.36 $)	1,916,450.69 ₩ (1,382.73 $)	+301.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	27,476,552.95 ₩ (19,824.48 $)	31,417,527.12 ₩ (22,667.92 $)	+14.3 %
Clothing And Shoes	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	77,445.72 ₩ (55.88 $)	72,604.91 ₩ (52.38 $)	-6.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	58,469.44 ₩ (42.19 $)	59,660.02 ₩ (43.05 $)	+2.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	108,857.44 ₩ (78.54 $)	123,268.06 ₩ (88.94 $)	+13.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	153,857.14 ₩ (111.01 $)	158,212.79 ₩ (114.15 $)	+2.8 %
Rent Per Month	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	711,759.70 ₩ (513.54 $)	2,536,778.93 ₩ (1,830.30 $)	+256.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	495,650.68 ₩ (357.61 $)	2,099,286.82 ₩ (1,514.65 $)	+323.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,001,300.56 ₩ (1,443.95 $)	4,321,363.24 ₩ (3,117.89 $)	+115.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,222,175.85 ₩ (881.81 $)	3,490,189.10 ₩ (2,518.19 $)	+185.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	1,568,924.76 ₩ (1,131.99 $)	631,611.74 ₩ (455.71 $)	-59.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	1,051,607.71 ₩ (758.74 $)	499,075.57 ₩ (360.09 $)	-52.5 %
Salaries And Financing	South Korea Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	3,335,904.89 ₩ (2,406.87 $)	6,145,087.34 ₩ (4,433.71 $)	+84.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	4.69	6.63	+41.5 %
Last update:	July 2024	July 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	402	13347

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