South Korea vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1114
$2432
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2777
$5701
🏠 One person rent
$477
$1515
🏘️ Family rent
$804
$2540
🍽️ Food expenses
$437
$573
🚐 Transport expenses
$94.8
$179
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2268
$3269
💸 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
91
🏙️ Population
51.8M
69.2M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1114) is 54% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2432). South Korea ranked 80th 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 2 months in South Korea compared to 1.3 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 23rd and 16th 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
$6.72
$21.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.3
$87.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.73
$10.6
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.31
$7.24
 Cappuccino
$3.51
$5.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.48
$2.65
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$495
$1589
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$325
$1223
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1123
$2759
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$705
$2247
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$98.9
$177
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$272
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$19.8
$43.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.17%
5.07%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$11512
$8898
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6605
$5803
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.03
$3.8
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$43.1
$95.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$8.65
$24
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$1.88
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2
$1.7
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.71
$1.8
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.62
$2.27
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.96
$4.4
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.9
$10.9
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.68
$9.2
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20
$15.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.24
$3
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.17
$1.68
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.72
$2.86
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.38
$3.51
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.24
$1.66
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.31
$1.65
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.76
$1.1
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.19
$3.16
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$11.8
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.9
$3.06
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.07
$22.2
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.3
$6.39
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.54
$5.52
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.44
$2.9
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.64
$2.59
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$47.6
$55.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.68
$15.5
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$53.5
$99.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.42
$14.5
👖 Brand Jeans
$57.3
$96.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$72.6
$105
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$404
$1842
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17691
$23184

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
$1363
9.67M
Busan
$1114
3.45M
Incheon
$1057
3.05M
Daegu
$1043
2.38M
Gwangju
$1062
1.41M
Daejeon
$922
1.48M
Ulsan
$1020
1.13M
Suwon
$1030
1.23M
Seongnam
$1425
919K
Yongin
$1102
1.08M
Cheongju
$903
848K
Hwaseong
$1076
1M
Changwon
$1032
1.01M
Namyangju
$1120
732K
Goyang
$1092
1.06M
Gimhae
$946
534K
Jeju
$1064
698K
Siheung
$1292
514K
Pyeongtaek
$1095
607K
Pohang
$1030
504K
Cheonan
$1121
657K
Bucheon
$1167
772K
Uijeongbu
$913
463K
Jeju Island
$1079
666K
Paju
$1049
498K
Ansan
$1044
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Hanam
$1162
330K
Gunsan
$1002
275K
Sejong
$986
392K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3740
8.8M
Birmingham
$2219
1.14M
Glasgow
$2121
626K
Manchester
$2365
548K
Edinburgh
$2331
488K
Sheffield
$1940
518K
Leeds
$2087
536K
Liverpool
$1998
513K
Bristol
$2592
472K
Cardiff
$2194
384K
Bolton
$2079
285K
Coventry
$2010
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$2012
300K
Bradford
$1787
293K
Leicester
$1838
369K
Nottingham
$1891
289K
Belfast
$1954
345K
Sunderland
$1573
277K
Derby
$1733
255K
Brighton and Hove
$2204
277K
Southampton
$2286
271K
Milton Keynes
$2310
264K
Northampton
$1894
246K
Plymouth
$1849
268K
Kingston upon Hull
$1667
260K
Swansea
$1753
247K
Portsmouth
$2044
248K
Solihull
$1957
207K
Croydon
$2564
192K
Wolverhampton
$1836
251K