South Korea vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison
Updated:
| South Korea | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| 🚶 Cost of living one person | ||
| 👨👩👧👦 Cost of living Family | ||
| 🏠 One person rent | ||
| 🏘️ Family rent | ||
| 🍽️ Food expenses | ||
| 🚐 Transport expenses | ||
| 💳 Monthly salary after tax | ||
| 💸 GDP per capita | ||
| 😃 Human freedom index | ||
| ❤️ Life expectancy | ||
| 👮 Corruption perceptions index | ||
| 🌐 English speaking % | ||
| 🎓 Higher education | ||
| 😀 Quality of life | ||
| 🏙️ Population |
The average cost of living in South Korea ($1134) is 55% less expensive than in the United States ($2516). South Korea ranked 74th vs 9th for the United States 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 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 24th and 20th 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 States
We calculate prices for South Korea and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 87 and 2202 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 States | |
|---|---|---|
| Eating Out | ||
| 🍱 Lunch Menu | ||
| 🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2 | ||
| 🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's | ||
| 🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | ||
| ☕ Cappuccino | ||
| 🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz | ||
| Rent & Utilities | ||
| 🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | ||
| 🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2 | ||
| 🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | ||
| 🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2 | ||
| 🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc. | ||
| 🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc. | ||
| 🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited | ||
| 🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years | ||
| 🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 | ||
| 🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2 | ||
| Transportation | ||
| 🚌 Local transport ticket | ||
| 🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport | ||
| 🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi | ||
| ⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal | ||
| Groceries | ||
| 🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt | ||
| 🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb | ||
| 🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🥚 Eggs, x12 | ||
| 🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb | ||
| 🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt | ||
| 🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz | ||
| 🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle | ||
| 🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz | ||
| 🚬 Cigarette pack | ||
| 💊 Cold medicince, 1 week | ||
| 🧴 Hair Shampoo | ||
| 🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls | ||
| 👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube | ||
| Other | ||
| 🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month | ||
| 🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person | ||
| 👩⚕️ Doctor's visit | ||
| 💇 Haircut, simple | ||
| 👖 Brand Jeans | ||
| 👟 Brand Sneakers | ||
| 👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month | ||
| 🏫 International Primary School, 1 year | ||
Cost of living in other countries
Cost of living
Cities Comparison in South Korea vs the United States
More countries to compare
Cost of Living in Popular cities
In South Korea
| City | Cost of living | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul | ||
| Busan | ||
| Incheon | ||
| Daegu | ||
| Gwangju | ||
| Suwon | ||
| Daejeon | ||
| Ulsan | ||
| Seongnam | ||
| Yongin | ||
| Cheongju | ||
| Hwaseong | ||
| Changwon | ||
| Namyangju | ||
| Gimhae | ||
| Siheung | ||
| Pyeongtaek | ||
| Pohang | ||
| Goyang | ||
| Cheonan | ||
| Bucheon | ||
| Jeju Island | ||
| Uijeongbu | ||
| Ansan | ||
| Jeju | ||
| Gwangju | ||
| Paju | ||
| Gunsan | ||
| Hanam | ||
| Sejong |