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 8.1% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in South Korea is 25.1% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in South Korea are 59.2% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in South Korea are 49.2% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in South Korea are 8.4% higher than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in South Korea is 32.8% 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 $
(28,581.85 ₩)		 7.00 $
(10,000.00 ₩)		      -65.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(107,181.93 ₩)		 41.98 $
(60,000.00 ₩)		      -44.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.39 $
(16,284.51 ₩)		 5.60 $
(8,000.00 ₩)		      -50.9 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(8,574.55 ₩)		 3.50 $
(5,000.00 ₩)		      -41.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(10,003.65 ₩)		 4.90 $
(7,000.00 ₩)		      -30.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.23 $
(7,474.77 ₩)		 3.53 $
(5,044.42 ₩)		      -32.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 $
(3,664.78 ₩)		 1.51 $
(2,161.33 ₩)		      -41.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.09 $
(2,989.05 ₩)		 0.75 $
(1,072.44 ₩)		      -64.1 %
Markets
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.00 $
(5,721.53 ₩)		 7.86 $
(11,236.57 ₩)		      +96.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.29 $
(4,706.05 ₩)		 2.69 $
(3,847.59 ₩)		      -18.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.09 $
(2,989.83 ₩)		 1.31 $
(1,871.37 ₩)		      -37.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.24 $
(6,062.43 ₩)		 2.94 $
(4,195.69 ₩)		      -30.8 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.87 $
(8,381.65 ₩)		 5.95 $
(8,508.50 ₩)		      +1.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.52 $
(7,889.24 ₩)		 3.96 $
(5,662.48 ₩)		      -28.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.38 $
(10,553.66 ₩)		 13.07 $
(18,680.39 ₩)		      +77.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.40 $
(3,425.48 ₩)		 3.39 $
(4,840.53 ₩)		      +41.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(1,087.54 ₩)		 1.49 $
(2,135.18 ₩)		      +96.3 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 $
(2,918.20 ₩)		 2.56 $
(3,651.84 ₩)		      +25.1 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.23 $
(3,187.53 ₩)		 2.65 $
(3,790.59 ₩)		      +18.9 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(1,901.19 ₩)		 1.67 $
(2,383.20 ₩)		      +25.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.40 $
(1,997.25 ₩)		 1.25 $
(1,781.72 ₩)		      -10.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(3,150.92 ₩)		 2.36 $
(3,373.78 ₩)		      +7.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.23 $
(3,184.02 ₩)		 1.13 $
(1,615.37 ₩)		      -49.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(21,436.39 ₩)		 17.49 $
(25,000.00 ₩)		      +16.6 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.95 $
(2,788.47 ₩)		 2.08 $
(2,970.62 ₩)		      +6.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.59 $
(5,135.14 ₩)		 2.83 $
(4,046.64 ₩)		      -21.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(14,290.92 ₩)		 3.15 $
(4,500.00 ₩)		      -68.5 %
Transportation
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(3,572.73 ₩)		 1.05 $
(1,500.00 ₩)		      -58.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(92,891.00 ₩)		 45.48 $
(65,000.00 ₩)		      -30.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(5,359.10 ₩)		 3.15 $
(4,500.00 ₩)		      -16.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(4,001.46 ₩)		 0.90 $
(1,287.48 ₩)		      -67.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(42,872.77 ₩)		 8.40 $
(12,000.00 ₩)		      -72.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.51 $
(5,010.22 ₩)		 4.38 $
(6,256.32 ₩)		      +24.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(42,872,771.07 ₩)		 26,402.07 $
(37,731,000.00 ₩)		      -12.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,965.51 $
(37,107,116.86 ₩)		 22,343.78 $
(31,931,326.80 ₩)		      -13.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 208.49 $
(297,953.31 ₩)		 160.93 $
(229,982.90 ₩)		      -22.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 57.22 $
(81,779.65 ₩)		 38.46 $
(54,969.74 ₩)		      -32.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.51 $
(102,191.91 ₩)		 20.66 $
(29,519.89 ₩)		      -71.1 %
Sports And Leisure
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.59 $
(66,574.51 ₩)		 49.34 $
(70,511.86 ₩)		      +5.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 22.02 $
(31,464.95 ₩)		 20.00 $
(28,575.00 ₩)		      -9.2 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.44 $
(20,636.09 ₩)		 10.50 $
(15,000.00 ₩)		      -27.3 %
Childcare
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,378.08 $
(1,969,407.79 ₩)		 380.86 $
(544,287.71 ₩)		      -72.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,637.27 $
(32,350,747.06 ₩)		 21,644.19 $
(30,931,546.89 ₩)		      -4.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 52.16 $
(74,535.70 ₩)		 55.81 $
(79,754.88 ₩)		      +7.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.62 $
(60,914.41 ₩)		 47.81 $
(68,318.15 ₩)		      +12.2 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.67 $
(128,144.37 ₩)		 80.41 $
(114,918.32 ₩)		      -10.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.23 $
(161,820.42 ₩)		 106.30 $
(151,911.76 ₩)		      -6.1 %
Rent Per Month
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,742.42 $
(2,490,075.95 ₩)		 576.19 $
(823,430.39 ₩)		      -66.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,437.63 $
(2,054,499.57 ₩)		 361.99 $
(517,313.83 ₩)		      -74.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,905.16 $
(4,151,743.25 ₩)		 1,567.13 $
(2,239,571.90 ₩)		      -46.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,406.26 $
(3,438,766.27 ₩)		 950.75 $
(1,358,705.18 ₩)		      -60.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 301.75 $
(431,227.98 ₩)		 1,217.96 $
(1,740,578.55 ₩)		      +303.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 251.65 $
(359,637.99 ₩)		 823.84 $
(1,177,344.32 ₩)		      +227.4 %
Salaries And Financing
 United States Edit South Korea Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,339.90 $
(6,202,119.15 ₩)		 2,185.53 $
(3,123,320.18 ₩)		      -49.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.51 4.50      -30.9 %
Last update: May 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:10856326
Moving to United States? Explore:
Moving to South Korea? Explore:

Other comparisons United States vs South Korea:

  
About Numbeo in the News Newsletter API

Copyright © 2009-2025 Numbeo. Your use of this service is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy