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
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