Germany vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1581
$1118
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3855
$3093
🏠 One person rent
$848
$471
🏘️ Family rent
$1584
$1095
🍽️ Food expenses
$488
$454
🚐 Transport expenses
$112
$98.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2943
$2392
💸 GDP per capita
$48718
$32423
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
8.12
❤️ Life expectancy
80.9
83.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
78
63
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
20%
🎓 Higher education
94
87
😀 Quality of life
92
87
🏙️ Population
83.1M
51.5M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1581) is 41% more expensive than in South Korea ($1118). Germany ranked 27th vs 62nd 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 2.1 months in South Korea. Ranked 12th and 20th 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
$13.2
$6.47
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$63.3
$35
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.1
$5.62
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.4
$3.31
 Cappuccino
$3.53
$3.63
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.81
$1.46
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$777
$466
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$605
$323
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1553
$1256
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1217
$839
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$165
$99.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$254
$153
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$46.6
$20.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
4.46%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5580
$10104
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4266
$6925
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.2
$1.06
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$55.9
$44.3
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$9.06
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.89
$1.24
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$2.07
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.03
$2.86
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$3.19
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.58
$3.26
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$11.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.3
$8.08
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.2
$31.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.56
$6.08
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$3.32
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$5.58
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.03
$5.12
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$3.6
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$2.97
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.5
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.01
$2.53
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.74
$15.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.01
$2.1
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.61
$3.35
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.49
$4.94
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.7
$5.38
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.69
$2.37
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.71
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36
$51.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.5
$9.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$62.1
$28.1
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.8
$8.02
👖 Brand Jeans
$86.2
$62.1
👟 Brand Sneakers
$92.1
$78
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$455
$385
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12634
$17694

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
$2013
3.68M
Hamburg City
$1909
1.85M
Munich
$2188
1.49M
Cologne
$1752
1.07M
Frankfurt
$1902
759K
Stuttgart
$1753
626K
Dusseldorf
$1776
619K
Essen
$1519
579K
Bremen City
$1716
563K
Dresden
$1406
555K
Dortmund
$1401
587K
Hanover
$1744
553K
Nuremberg
$1757
511K
Leipzig
$1371
625K
Duisburg
$1395
495K
Karlsruhe
$1805
307K
Mannheim
$1512
312K
Wuppertal
$1124
355K
Bochum
$1471
363K
Bonn
$1593
332K
Braunschweig
$1391
249K
Augsburg
$1751
296K
Bielefeld
$1422
334K
Halle
$1242
238K
Wiesbaden
$1713
279K
Aachen
$1502
249K
Munster
$1688
318K
Monchengladbach
$1476
261K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1275
232K
Magdeburg
$1297
236K

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1444
9.67M
Busan
$1029
3.45M
Incheon
$1020
2.94M
Daegu
$1113
2.44M
Daejeon
$924
1.48M
Gwangju
$1147
1.49M
Suwon
$987
1.23M
Ulsan
$1078
1.15M
Seongnam
$1121
949K
Changwon
$1073
1.05M
Cheongju
$903
849K
Yongin
$1256
971K
Jeju Island
$1056
678K
Goyang
$1144
1.06M
Hwaseong
$1088
904K
Namyangju
$1106
713K
Bucheon
$1152
793K
Gimhae
$907
534K
Jeju
$1003
435K
Cheonan
$940
652K
Ansan
$1127
653K
Siheung
$1081
425K
Uijeongbu
$986
463K
Anyang
$1097
548K
Gunsan
$975
275K
Pohang
$989
504K
Masan
$1006
430K
Jeonju
$787
653K
Pyeongtaek
$924
458K
Paju
$1072
415K