Cost of Living in South Korea

Select city in South Korea:

Summary of cost of living in South Korea:

The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 3,688.6$ (5,334,887.4₩), excluding rent.
The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 1,009.6$ (1,460,169.7₩), excluding rent.
Cost of living in South Korea is, on average, 10.6% lower than in United States.
Rent in South Korea is, on average, 60.3% lower than in United States.

Restaurants	Edit	Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant	10,000.00 ₩	8,000.00-15,000.00
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks)	60,000.00 ₩	35,000.00-130,000.00
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal)	8,000.00 ₩	7,500.00-10,000.00
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint)	5,000.00 ₩	2,500.00-7,000.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	6,219.13 ₩	4,000.00-9,000.00
Cappuccino (Regular Size)	5,159.85 ₩	3,000.00-7,000.00
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle)	2,154.50 ₩	1,500.00-3,306.70
Bottled Water (12 oz)	1,074.16 ₩	900.00-2,000.00

Markets	Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter)	2,925.87 ₩	2,000.00-4,000.00
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf)	3,704.34 ₩	2,267.96-7,257.49
White Rice (1 lb)	1,929.58 ₩	1,088.62-3,175.15
Eggs (12, Large Size)	4,091.89 ₩	2,400.00-6,960.00
Local Cheese (1 lb)	8,612.03 ₩	4,535.93-20,411.68
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5,621.02 ₩	2,721.56-8,164.67
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb)	17,502.55 ₩	8,164.67-31,751.50
Apples (1 lb)	4,980.96 ₩	2,267.96-8,164.67
Bananas (1 lb)	2,120.51 ₩	1,360.78-4,535.93
Oranges (1 lb)	3,730.43 ₩	1,587.58-6,803.89
Tomatoes (1 lb)	3,751.41 ₩	1,587.58-6,350.30
Potatoes (1 lb)	2,303.31 ₩	1,084.09-3,628.74
Onions (1 lb)	1,822.29 ₩	907.19-3,175.15
Lettuce (1 Head)	3,511.90 ₩	2,000.00-6,000.00
Bottled Water (50 oz)	1,621.91 ₩	810.00-2,000.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	25,000.00 ₩	12,000.00-45,000.00
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle)	2,882.90 ₩	1,800.00-4,500.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	3,979.57 ₩	2,000.00-7,000.00
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro)	4,500.00 ₩	4,500.00-5,000.00

Transportation	Edit
One-Way Ticket (Local Transport)	1,500.00 ₩	1,400.00-1,650.00
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price)	65,000.00 ₩	60,000.00-90,000.00
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff)	4,500.00 ₩	3,800.00-5,000.00
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff)	1,448.41 ₩	1,227.93-2,414.02
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff)	12,000.00 ₩	12,000.00-20,000.00
Gasoline (1 Liter)	1,679.00 ₩	1,600.00-1,880.20
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car)	39,370,000.00 ₩	37,731,000.00-39,370,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car)	38,494,761.90 ₩	31,750,000.00-47,750,000.00

Utilities (Monthly)	Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage)	248,868.03 ₩	153,000.00-361,250.00
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data)	53,162.80 ₩	25,000.00-75,000.00
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher)	31,478.27 ₩	20,000.00-50,000.00

Sports And Leisure	Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership	74,751.85 ₩	30,000.00-130,000.00
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend)	25,129.63 ₩	10,000.00-40,000.00
Cinema Ticket (International Release)	15,000.00 ₩	13,000.00-18,000.00

Childcare	Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child	938,761.47 ₩	330,000.00-2,688,000.00
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child	31,951,125.12 ₩	25,000,000.00-42,000,000.00

Clothing And Shoes	Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar)	77,176.84 ₩	50,000.00-143,100.00
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M)	63,550.00 ₩	40,000.00-100,000.00
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	111,541.08 ₩	70,000.00-160,000.00
Men's Leather Business Shoes	142,885.71 ₩	80,000.00-200,000.00

Rent Per Month	Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	860,429.07 ₩	500,000.00-1,500,000.00
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	555,075.27 ₩	350,000.00-1,200,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	2,007,493.04 ₩	1,000,000.00-3,750,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	1,217,778.67 ₩	750,000.00-2,000,000.00

Buy Apartment Price	Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	1,870,780.09 ₩	655,780.75-4,645,113.34
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	1,136,772.69 ₩	464,511.33-2,415,458.94

Salaries And Financing	Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	3,346,833.09 ₩
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %)	4.10	3.50-5.00

Prices in South Korea

This country had 1846 entries in the past 12 months by 199 different contributors.
Last update: 12 January 2026
Our data for each country are based on all entries from all cities in that country.

Sources and References