South Korea vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1134
$2101
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2805
$4583
🏠 One person rent
$487
$1412
🏘️ Family rent
$821
$2441
🍽️ Food expenses
$443
$419
🚐 Transport expenses
$97.9
$132
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1998
$3410
💸 GDP per capita
$33121
$49378
😃 Human freedom index
8.23
5.9
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
82.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
64
68
🌐 English speaking %
20%
65%
🎓 Higher education
87
68
😀 Quality of life
85
83
🏙️ Population
51.8M
10.9M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1134) is 46% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2101). South Korea ranked 74th vs 17th for the United Arab Emirates 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 South Korea compared to 1.6 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 24th and 27th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Korea vs United Arab Emirates infographic

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Prices in South Korea vs the United Arab Emirates

We calculate prices for South Korea and the United Arab Emirates as a population-weighted mean of 87 and 9 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.

South Korea United Arab Emirates
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.71
$9.28
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.2
$57.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.72
$9.09
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.29
$11.5
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$5.32
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.52
$1.09
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$483
$1623
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$336
$1083
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1135
$3576
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$721
$2450
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$101
$122
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$186
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$20.6
$99.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.18%
4.67%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10906
$6782
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6575
$5779
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.03
$1.55
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$44.6
$63.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.04
$8.94
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$0.77
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.06
$1.88
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.83
$1.41
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.6
$2.05
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.1
$3.26
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$10.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.76
$8.49
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$22.7
$11.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.94
$2.31
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.14
$1.77
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.93
$1.7
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.15
$1.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.67
$1.15
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.63
$1.19
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.75
$0.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.23
$2.01
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$13.8
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.88
$2.43
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.11
$6.01
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.39
$6.93
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.78
$5.51
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.51
$2.99
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.68
$3.57
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.3
$71.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.93
$13.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$54.5
$70.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.46
$9.22
👖 Brand Jeans
$60.7
$67.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$71.4
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$351
$659
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15508
$11633

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs the United Arab Emirates

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2514
3.94M
Abu Dhabi
$1942
1.57M
Al Ain
$1449
767K
Sharjah
$1419
1.25M
Ajman
$2521
490K
Fujairah
$1228
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1398
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1183
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1730
29.1K