Germany vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1601
$1116
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3915
$3042
🏠 One person rent
$853
$466
🏘️ Family rent
$1596
$1019
🍽️ Food expenses
$501
$454
🚐 Transport expenses
$111
$93.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2931
$2217
💸 GDP per capita
$54343
$33121
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
8.23
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
82.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
64
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
20%
🎓 Higher education
94
87
😀 Quality of life
91
84
🏙️ Population
84.4M
51.5M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1601) is 43% more expensive than in South Korea ($1116). Germany ranked 23rd vs 64th 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 1.8 months in Germany compared to 2 months in South Korea. Ranked 12th and 23rd 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

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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
$14.3
$6.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$65.3
$35.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$5.46
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.51
$3.21
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$3.5
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.89
$1.53
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$774
$484
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$593
$320
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1561
$1204
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1204
$767
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$179
$93.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$276
$145
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$44.3
$20.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
4.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5339
$10274
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4073
$6790
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.24
$1.02
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.4
$42
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$8.77
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.82
$1.15
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$2.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.98
$2.89
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$2.8
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.43
$3.01
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$11.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$8.28
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.1
$26.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.79
$6.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$3.23
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$5.68
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.26
$5.28
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.54
$3.8
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.78
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.72
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.97
$2.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.98
$16.7
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.98
$2.03
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.54
$3.12
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.5
$4.67
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.71
$5.24
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$2.2
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.72
$2.07
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.3
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$9.93
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.7
$42.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$17
$7.71
👖 Brand Jeans
$85.9
$64.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$94
$78.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$445
$407
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13707
$18055

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
$2027
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2007
1.91M
Munich
$2201
1.51M
Cologne
$1744
1.09M
Frankfurt
$1989
776K
Stuttgart
$1957
633K
Dusseldorf
$1772
631K
Bremen City
$1556
577K
Essen
$1443
587K
Nuremberg
$1672
526K
Leipzig
$1516
620K
Dresden
$1402
566K
Dortmund
$1585
595K
Hanover
$1726
548K
Mannheim
$1617
317K
Wuppertal
$1233
359K
Duisburg
$1314
504K
Bielefeld
$1451
338K
Wiesbaden
$1879
286K
Munster
$1737
323K
Bochum
$1486
366K
Augsburg
$1728
303K
Karlsruhe
$1780
310K
Bonn
$1677
336K
Braunschweig
$1371
252K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1245
237K
Aachen
$1477
253K
Monchengladbach
$1511
269K
Chemnitz
$1187
251K
Mainz
$1666
223K

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1334
9.67M
Busan
$1060
3.45M
Incheon
$1092
2.94M
Daegu
$995
2.38M
Suwon
$1022
1.23M
Daejeon
$992
1.48M
Gwangju
$1101
1.49M
Ulsan
$1059
1.13M
Cheongju
$936
852K
Seongnam
$1400
919K
Yongin
$1127
1.08M
Changwon
$1075
1.01M
Hwaseong
$1089
941K
Goyang
$1171
1.06M
Namyangju
$1129
732K
Gimhae
$959
534K
Siheung
$1283
520K
Jeju Island
$1080
678K
Bucheon
$1163
772K
Pyeongtaek
$984
590K
Cheonan
$1151
657K
Pohang
$988
504K
Uijeongbu
$955
463K
Ansan
$1070
623K
Paju
$1075
498K
Gwangju
$1165
397K
Jeju
$1037
492K
Hanam
$1161
330K
Sejong
$1019
386K
Gunsan
$1005
275K