Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Korea Reverse

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.
City in United States:
City in South Korea:
Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in South Korea is 6.8% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in South Korea is 22.5% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in South Korea are 54.3% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in South Korea are 48.1% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in South Korea are 9.8% higher than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in South Korea is 27.1% lower than in United States
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
United States Edit South Korea Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $
(27,982.40 ₩)
7.15 $
(10,000.00 ₩)
     -64.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(104,934.00 ₩)
42.88 $
(60,000.00 ₩)
     -42.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.50 $
(16,089.88 ₩)
5.72 $
(8,000.00 ₩)
     -50.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(8,394.72 ₩)
3.57 $
(5,000.00 ₩)
     -40.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(9,793.84 ₩)
5.00 $
(7,000.00 ₩)
     -28.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.24 $
(7,326.99 ₩)
3.66 $
(5,121.22 ₩)
     -30.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 $
(3,585.55 ₩)
1.56 $
(2,187.24 ₩)
     -39.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.09 $
(2,922.88 ₩)
0.78 $
(1,093.45 ₩)
     -62.6 %
Markets
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.01 $
(5,604.10 ₩)
8.03 $
(11,236.91 ₩)
     +100.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.29 $
(4,607.97 ₩)
2.74 $
(3,834.18 ₩)
     -16.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.09 $
(2,925.58 ₩)
1.35 $
(1,886.38 ₩)
     -35.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.28 $
(5,984.55 ₩)
2.96 $
(4,142.17 ₩)
     -30.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.86 $
(8,205.65 ₩)
6.10 $
(8,537.68 ₩)
     +4.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.53 $
(7,738.10 ₩)
4.08 $
(5,714.42 ₩)
     -26.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.40 $
(10,348.04 ₩)
13.20 $
(18,468.71 ₩)
     +78.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.40 $
(3,353.13 ₩)
3.46 $
(4,840.53 ₩)
     +44.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(1,067.18 ₩)
1.52 $
(2,124.65 ₩)
     +99.1 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 $
(2,855.51 ₩)
2.57 $
(3,597.37 ₩)
     +26.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.23 $
(3,114.62 ₩)
2.67 $
(3,729.82 ₩)
     +19.8 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(1,861.82 ₩)
1.70 $
(2,376.43 ₩)
     +27.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.39 $
(1,950.97 ₩)
1.25 $
(1,755.35 ₩)
     -10.0 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(3,079.89 ₩)
2.41 $
(3,373.78 ₩)
     +9.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.23 $
(3,120.32 ₩)
1.16 $
(1,618.19 ₩)
     -48.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(20,986.80 ₩)
17.87 $
(25,000.00 ₩)
     +19.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.95 $
(2,735.05 ₩)
2.10 $
(2,940.60 ₩)
     +7.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.60 $
(5,030.27 ₩)
2.82 $
(3,940.15 ₩)
     -21.7 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(13,991.20 ₩)
3.22 $
(4,500.00 ₩)
     -67.8 %
Transportation
United States Edit South Korea Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(3,497.80 ₩)
1.07 $
(1,500.00 ₩)
     -57.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(90,942.80 ₩)
46.46 $
(65,000.00 ₩)
     -28.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(5,246.70 ₩)
3.22 $
(4,500.00 ₩)
     -14.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(3,917.54 ₩)
0.97 $
(1,351.00 ₩)
     -65.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(41,973.60 ₩)
8.58 $
(12,000.00 ₩)
     -71.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.50 $
(4,899.40 ₩)
4.47 $
(6,259.71 ₩)
     +27.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(41,973,600.00 ₩)
26,967.67 $
(37,731,000.00 ₩)
     -10.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,969.88 $
(36,334,972.23 ₩)
22,801.00 $
(31,901,338.35 ₩)
     -12.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 208.44 $
(291,634.82 ₩)
163.35 $
(228,542.92 ₩)
     -21.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 57.25 $
(80,104.03 ₩)
39.20 $
(54,844.15 ₩)
     -31.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.62 $
(100,203.79 ₩)
21.03 $
(29,425.73 ₩)
     -70.6 %
Sports And Leisure
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.25 $
(64,706.34 ₩)
50.53 $
(70,699.48 ₩)
     +9.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 21.91 $
(30,654.11 ₩)
18.77 $
(26,261.90 ₩)
     -14.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.36 $
(20,098.36 ₩)
10.72 $
(15,000.00 ₩)
     -25.4 %
Childcare
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,373.10 $
(1,921,133.06 ₩)
383.63 $
(536,748.17 ₩)
     -72.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,558.60 $
(31,562,186.49 ₩)
22,472.49 $
(31,441,709.70 ₩)
     -0.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
United States Edit South Korea Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 52.12 $
(72,927.45 ₩)
54.40 $
(76,110.24 ₩)
     +4.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.49 $
(59,450.62 ₩)
43.80 $
(61,281.85 ₩)
     +3.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.88 $
(125,759.26 ₩)
76.74 $
(107,364.15 ₩)
     -14.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.42 $
(158,687.82 ₩)
96.98 $
(135,680.00 ₩)
     -14.5 %
Rent Per Month
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,745.06 $
(2,441,543.65 ₩)
687.01 $
(961,215.17 ₩)
     -60.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,438.56 $
(2,012,717.67 ₩)
426.73 $
(597,041.00 ₩)
     -70.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,897.15 $
(4,053,460.72 ₩)
1,744.69 $
(2,441,027.49 ₩)
     -39.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,402.93 $
(3,361,992.88 ₩)
1,016.63 $
(1,422,384.45 ₩)
     -57.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 299.92 $
(419,627.84 ₩)
1,296.86 $
(1,814,466.77 ₩)
     +332.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 252.10 $
(352,719.67 ₩)
829.94 $
(1,161,188.39 ₩)
     +229.2 %
Salaries And Financing
United States Edit South Korea Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,327.70 $
(6,054,972.48 ₩)
2,442.81 $
(3,417,784.97 ₩)
     -43.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.51 4.25      -34.7 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:11099369