Germany vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1755
$1134
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4140
$2805
🏠 One person rent
$924
$487
🏘️ Family rent
$1569
$821
🍽️ Food expenses
$552
$443
🚐 Transport expenses
$129
$97.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3290
$1998
💸 GDP per capita
$55800
$33121
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
8.23
❤️ Life expectancy
80.5
83.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
64
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
20%
🎓 Higher education
94
87
😀 Quality of life
91
85
🏙️ Population
83.5M
51.8M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1755) is 55% more expensive than in South Korea ($1134). Germany ranked 24th vs 74th for South Korea in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.9 months in Germany compared to 1.8 months in South Korea. Ranked 12th and 24th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Germany vs South Korea infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Germany vs South Korea

We calculate prices for Germany and South Korea as a population-weighted mean of 662 and 87 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Germany South Korea
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$16.3
$6.71
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$72.8
$35.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$12.1
$5.72
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.11
$3.29
 Cappuccino
$4.03
$3.56
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$3.32
$1.52
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$867
$483
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$667
$336
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1714
$1135
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1346
$721
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$171
$101
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$263
$154
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$46.3
$20.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.89%
4.18%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5862
$10906
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4371
$6575
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.75
$1.03
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$63.7
$44.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$27.1
$9.04
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.99
$1.15
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.3
$2.06
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.19
$2.83
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.32
$2.6
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.85
$3.1
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.8
$12.6
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$7.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20.8
$22.7
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.31
$6.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2
$3.14
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.33
$5.93
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$5.15
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.64
$3.67
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$2.63
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.71
$0.75
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.17
$2.23
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$6.71
$15.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.08
$1.88
🚬 Cigarette pack
$9.79
$3.11
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$4.39
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.05
$4.78
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.75
$2.51
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.88
$1.68
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$40.7
$48.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14.6
$9.93
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$70.8
$54.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$18.4
$9.46
👖 Brand Jeans
$93.5
$60.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$103
$71.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$482
$351
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15339
$15508

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Germany vs South Korea

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Germany

City Cost of living Population
Berlin
$2222
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2172
1.91M
Munich
$2463
1.51M
Frankfurt
$2182
776K
Cologne
$1968
1.09M
Dusseldorf
$1979
631K
Stuttgart
$2207
633K
Essen
$1516
587K
Dortmund
$1632
595K
Nuremberg
$1767
526K
Bremen City
$1785
577K
Leipzig
$1690
620K
Dresden
$1555
566K
Hanover
$1828
548K
Mannheim
$1825
317K
Bonn
$1957
336K
Duisburg
$1340
504K
Bielefeld
$1611
338K
Augsburg
$1954
303K
Wiesbaden
$1922
286K
Munster
$1887
323K
Wuppertal
$1488
359K
Braunschweig
$1534
252K
Bochum
$1560
366K
Karlsruhe
$1891
310K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1738
237K
Aachen
$1668
253K
Monchengladbach
$1651
269K
Halle
$1388
242K
Mainz
$1736
223K

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1383
9.67M
Busan
$1108
3.45M
Incheon
$1088
2.94M
Daegu
$1062
2.38M
Gwangju
$1081
1.49M
Suwon
$1066
1.23M
Daejeon
$959
1.48M
Ulsan
$1076
1.13M
Seongnam
$1435
919K
Yongin
$1120
1.08M
Cheongju
$924
852K
Hwaseong
$1098
941K
Changwon
$1084
1.01M
Namyangju
$1138
732K
Gimhae
$975
534K
Siheung
$1307
520K
Pyeongtaek
$1141
590K
Pohang
$1024
504K
Goyang
$1097
1.06M
Cheonan
$1153
657K
Bucheon
$1175
772K
Jeju Island
$1100
678K
Uijeongbu
$918
463K
Ansan
$1049
623K
Jeju
$1069
492K
Gwangju
$1196
397K
Paju
$1065
498K
Gunsan
$1020
275K
Hanam
$1178
330K
Sejong
$1020
386K