South Korea vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1074
$2124
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2688
$4640
🏠 One person rent
$470
$1436
🏘️ Family rent
$787
$2485
🍽️ Food expenses
$417
$423
🚐 Transport expenses
$89.7
$129
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2138
$3341
💸 GDP per capita
$36239
$50274
😃 Human freedom index
8.15
5.81
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
82.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
69
🌐 English speaking %
20%
65%
🎓 Higher education
87
68
😀 Quality of life
87
84
🏙️ Population
51.8M
11M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1074) is 49% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2124). South Korea ranked 86th 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 2 months in South Korea compared to 1.6 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 23rd and 30th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$6.41
$9.71
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.3
$57.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.45
$9.16
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.16
$11.8
 Cappuccino
$3.29
$5.46
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.41
$1.22
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$486
$1662
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$319
$1115
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1137
$3230
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$698
$2498
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$98.8
$122
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$152
$188
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$19.2
$91.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.19%
4.59%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$11577
$6089
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6055
$4089
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.99
$1.6
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$40.7
$59
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$8.06
$9
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$0.82
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.88
$1.81
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.54
$1.41
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.51
$2.03
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.65
$3.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$11.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.7
$8.45
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$17.8
$10.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.64
$2.4
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.08
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.66
$1.79
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.93
$1.4
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3
$1.11
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.35
$1.03
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.69
$0.4
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.03
$2.18
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.1
$14.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.9
$2.63
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.95
$6.13
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.01
$7.53
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.25
$5.64
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.09
$3.35
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.52
$3.04
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$45.7
$74.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.37
$13.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$45.2
$67.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.07
$9.64
👖 Brand Jeans
$57
$67.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$68.9
$100
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$465
$666
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$18682
$13313

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs the United Arab Emirates

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1296
9.67M
Busan
$1084
3.45M
Incheon
$1032
3.05M
Daegu
$992
2.38M
Gwangju
$957
1.41M
Daejeon
$905
1.48M
Suwon
$985
1.23M
Ulsan
$957
1.13M
Goyang
$1052
1.06M
Yongin
$1061
1.08M
Cheongju
$865
848K
Seongnam
$1455
919K
Hwaseong
$1045
1M
Changwon
$1013
1.01M
Namyangju
$1094
732K
Gimhae
$1014
534K
Jeju
$1020
698K
Pyeongtaek
$1048
607K
Pohang
$989
504K
Jeju Island
$1037
666K
Cheonan
$1128
657K
Bucheon
$1090
772K
Uijeongbu
$868
463K
Siheung
$1313
514K
Paju
$1010
498K
Ansan
$1001
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Jeonju
$771
342K
Gunsan
$964
275K
Sejong
$971
392K

In the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2470
3.94M
Abu Dhabi
$2133
1.57M
Sharjah
$1543
1.25M
Al Ain
$1455
767K
Ajman
$2356
490K
Fujairah
$1173
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1355
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1170
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1791
29.1K