South Korea vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1074
$2399
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2688
$5601
🏠 One person rent
$470
$1485
🏘️ Family rent
$787
$2452
🍽️ Food expenses
$417
$570
🚐 Transport expenses
$89.7
$178
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2138
$3628
💸 GDP per capita
$36239
$53246
😃 Human freedom index
8.15
8.6
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
81.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
70
🌐 English speaking %
20%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
87
100
😀 Quality of life
87
92
🏙️ Population
51.8M
69.2M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1074) is 55% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2399). South Korea ranked 86th vs 12th for the United Kingdom 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 1.5 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 23rd and 14th 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 Kingdom

We calculate prices for South Korea and the United Kingdom as a population-weighted mean of 87 and 277 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 Kingdom
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.41
$21.3
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.3
$85.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.45
$10.6
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.16
$7.28
 Cappuccino
$3.29
$4.93
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.41
$2.62
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$486
$1530
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$319
$1201
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1137
$2627
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$698
$2095
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$98.8
$176
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$152
$269
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$19.2
$42.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.19%
5.1%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$11577
$8953
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6055
$5429
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.99
$3.59
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$40.7
$94.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$8.06
$24
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$1.93
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.88
$1.67
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.54
$1.76
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.51
$2.22
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.65
$4.36
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$10.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.7
$9.32
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$17.8
$15
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.64
$2.98
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.08
$1.64
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.66
$2.78
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.93
$3.43
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3
$1.62
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.35
$1.61
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.69
$1.1
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.03
$3.06
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.1
$11.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.9
$3.02
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.95
$22.4
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.01
$6.29
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.25
$5.18
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.09
$2.93
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.52
$2.49
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$45.7
$57.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.37
$15.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$45.2
$102
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.07
$15.9
👖 Brand Jeans
$57
$95.1
👟 Brand Sneakers
$68.9
$104
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$465
$1814
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$18682
$21784

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs the United Kingdom

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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 Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3662
8.8M
Birmingham
$2204
1.14M
Glasgow
$2114
626K
Manchester
$2348
548K
Leeds
$2039
536K
Bristol
$2596
472K
Liverpool
$1942
513K
Edinburgh
$2295
488K
Sheffield
$1948
518K
Cardiff
$2082
384K
Bolton
$1987
285K
Coventry
$1971
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1979
300K
Leicester
$1777
369K
Belfast
$1878
345K
Sunderland
$1554
277K
Bradford
$1774
293K
Solihull
$2080
207K
Nottingham
$1990
289K
Derby
$1748
255K
Brighton and Hove
$2197
277K
Northampton
$1886
246K
Southampton
$2309
271K
Milton Keynes
$2312
264K
Croydon
$2563
192K
Portsmouth
$2029
248K
Kingston upon Hull
$1654
260K
Plymouth
$1791
268K
Swansea
$1730
247K
Westminster
$3042
211K