South Korea vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1139
$2292
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3162
$5537
🏠 One person rent
$478
$1425
🏘️ Family rent
$1088
$2546
🍽️ Food expenses
$463
$534
🚐 Transport expenses
$101
$168
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2364
$3442
💸 GDP per capita
$33121
$48867
😃 Human freedom index
8.12
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
82.7
82.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
71
🌐 English speaking %
20%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
87
100
😀 Quality of life
85
91
🏙️ Population
51.5M
67.3M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1139) is 50% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2292). South Korea ranked 67th vs 13th 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 1.5 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 22nd and 13th 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
$6.98
$19.9
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$34.6
$80.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.9
$9.75
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.27
$6.53
 Cappuccino
$3.63
$4.42
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.53
$2.3
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$493
$1463
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$328
$1146
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1283
$2840
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$827
$2084
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$97.5
$176
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$150
$270
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$19.9
$40.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.19%
5.65%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10513
$8199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$7053
$5588
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.1
$3.27
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$45.5
$90.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.17
$20.6
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.24
$1.94
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.14
$1.63
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.92
$1.63
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.82
$2.22
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.24
$4.07
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$10.3
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.02
$8.85
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$25.1
$14.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.3
$2.95
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.62
$1.61
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.97
$2.93
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.27
$3.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.43
$1.46
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.82
$1.5
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.79
$0.98
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.56
$2.91
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$17
$11
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.22
$2.67
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.38
$18.2
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5
$6.04
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.39
$5.19
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.39
$2.83
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.16
$2.27
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$50.5
$46.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$10.8
$14
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$27.9
$115
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.35
$14.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$64
$85.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$80.3
$99.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$392
$1730
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$21622
$19028

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
$1461
9.67M
Busan
$1122
3.45M
Incheon
$1067
2.94M
Daegu
$1114
2.38M
Daejeon
$975
1.48M
Suwon
$970
1.23M
Gwangju
$1178
1.49M
Ulsan
$1099
1.13M
Cheongju
$997
852K
Seongnam
$1127
919K
Yongin
$1142
971K
Changwon
$1083
1.01M
Hwaseong
$1049
941K
Goyang
$1008
1.06M
Namyangju
$1084
732K
Bucheon
$1068
781K
Gimhae
$901
534K
Siheung
$1087
520K
Jeju Island
$1165
678K
Pyeongtaek
$1053
590K
Cheonan
$1222
652K
Pohang
$1000
504K
Ansan
$990
653K
Uijeongbu
$936
463K
Anyang
$1025
548K
Paju
$1020
498K
Jeju
$1157
492K
Sejong
$1043
386K
Hanam
$1074
330K
Gunsan
$1007
275K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3427
8.8M
Birmingham
$2046
1.14M
Leeds
$1987
789K
Glasgow
$2013
626K
Edinburgh
$2246
488K
Manchester
$2137
548K
Sheffield
$1809
518K
Bristol
$2373
472K
Coventry
$2050
363K
Liverpool
$1889
513K
Leicester
$1898
464K
Cardiff
$2019
361K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1847
300K
Belfast
$1830
345K
Westminster
$3054
255K
Bradford
$1670
293K
Southampton
$2023
271K
Milton Keynes
$2384
264K
Bolton
$1852
285K
Nottingham
$1944
289K
Brighton and Hove
$3152
277K
Derby
$1817
255K
Aberdeen
$1701
201K
Solihull
$1827
207K
Norwich
$1926
196K
York
$1893
208K
Plymouth
$1779
268K
Luton
$2053
213K
Sunderland
$1571
277K
Northampton
$1755
246K