South Korea vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1118
$2183
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3093
$5169
🏠 One person rent
$471
$1371
🏘️ Family rent
$1095
$2364
🍽️ Food expenses
$454
$503
🚐 Transport expenses
$98.5
$155
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2392
$3116
💸 GDP per capita
$32423
$46125
😃 Human freedom index
8.12
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
83.5
80.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
71
🌐 English speaking %
20%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
87
100
😀 Quality of life
87
90
🏙️ Population
51.5M
67.3M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1118) is 49% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2183). South Korea ranked 62nd 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 2.1 months in South Korea compared to 1.4 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 20th and 16th 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
$6.47
$18
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35
$75.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.62
$9.16
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.31
$6.16
 Cappuccino
$3.63
$4.13
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.46
$2.24
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$466
$1440
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$323
$1111
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1256
$2555
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$839
$1959
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$99.4
$174
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$268
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$20.9
$38
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.46%
5.8%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10104
$8083
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6925
$5251
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.06
$3.3
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$44.3
$85.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.06
$18.7
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.24
$1.94
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.07
$1.53
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.86
$1.54
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.19
$2.02
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.26
$3.94
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.8
$9.27
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.08
$8.7
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$31.2
$13.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.08
$2.73
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.32
$1.46
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.58
$2.76
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.12
$3.2
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.6
$1.36
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.97
$1.36
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$0.92
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.53
$2.75
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.3
$9.98
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.1
$2.45
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.35
$16.7
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.94
$6.83
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.38
$5.23
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.37
$2.84
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.13
$2.12
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.9
$44.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.9
$13.7
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$28.1
$101
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.02
$14.3
👖 Brand Jeans
$62.1
$85.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78
$96.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$385
$1613
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17694
$18419

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
$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

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3321
8.91M
Birmingham
$2004
1.14M
Leeds
$1872
789K
Glasgow
$1884
626K
Edinburgh
$2043
488K
Manchester
$1998
548K
Bristol
$2136
472K
Sheffield
$1715
518K
Coventry
$2320
363K
Liverpool
$1713
513K
Leicester
$1797
464K
Cardiff
$1770
361K
Westminster
$3004
255K
Bolton
$1711
285K
Belfast
$1741
334K
Nottingham
$1966
289K
Brighton and Hove
$1987
277K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1910
300K
Milton Keynes
$2241
207K
Southampton
$1824
271K
Derby
$1654
255K
York
$1783
208K
Portsmouth
$1938
248K
Bradford
$1564
293K
Ipswich
$1719
290K
Plymouth
$1744
268K
Aberdeen
$1681
201K
Wolverhampton
$1687
251K
Kingston upon Hull
$1386
260K
Swindon
$1935
222K