South Korea vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1134
$2423
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2805
$5632
🏠 One person rent
$487
$1537
🏘️ Family rent
$821
$2579
🍽️ Food expenses
$443
$551
🚐 Transport expenses
$97.9
$175
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1998
$3400
💸 GDP per capita
$33121
$52637
😃 Human freedom index
8.23
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
81.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
64
71
🌐 English speaking %
20%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
87
100
😀 Quality of life
85
90
🏙️ Population
51.8M
69.2M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1134) is 53% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2423). South Korea ranked 74th vs 11th 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 1.8 months in South Korea compared to 1.4 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 24th and 14th 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 Kingdom infographic

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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
$6.71
$20.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.2
$83.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.72
$10
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.29
$7.07
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$4.72
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.52
$2.5
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$483
$1632
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$336
$1243
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1135
$2684
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$721
$2247
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$101
$175
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$270
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$20.6
$40.8
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.18%
5.33%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10906
$9148
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6575
$5701
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.03
$3.5
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$44.6
$92.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.04
$23.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$1.88
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.06
$1.62
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.83
$1.72
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.6
$2.26
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.1
$4.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$10.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.76
$8.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$22.7
$14.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.94
$2.97
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.14
$1.66
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.93
$2.95
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.15
$3.29
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.67
$1.56
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.63
$1.63
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.75
$1.07
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.23
$2.95
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$11.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.88
$2.91
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.11
$19.9
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.39
$6.08
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.78
$5.17
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.51
$2.87
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.68
$2.39
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.3
$48.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.93
$14.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$54.5
$96.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.46
$14.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$60.7
$91.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$71.4
$101
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$351
$1767
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15508
$20243

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs the United Kingdom

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 Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3851
8.8M
Birmingham
$2137
1.14M
Glasgow
$2058
626K
Edinburgh
$2310
488K
Manchester
$2265
548K
Sheffield
$1890
518K
Bristol
$2450
472K
Leeds
$2067
536K
Liverpool
$1937
513K
Leicester
$1899
464K
Coventry
$2051
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1963
300K
Bolton
$2040
285K
Cardiff
$2105
361K
Bradford
$1746
293K
Nottingham
$1831
289K
Westminster
$2960
255K
Belfast
$1884
345K
Brighton and Hove
$2269
277K
Sunderland
$1602
277K
Derby
$1658
255K
Southampton
$2139
271K
Solihull
$1940
207K
Milton Keynes
$2330
264K
Kingston upon Hull
$1600
260K
Plymouth
$1884
268K
Aberdeen
$1769
201K
Northampton
$1901
246K
York
$1867
208K
Wolverhampton
$1775
251K