Cost of Living in South Korea. 2018 prices in South Korea.

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Food
	Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district	₩8,653
	Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar)	₩6,350
	500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast	₩5,512
	1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk	₩2,580
	12 eggs, large	₩3,533
	1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes	₩5,394
	500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese	₩11,916
	1 kg (2 lb.) of apples	₩6,810
	1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes	₩4,209
	0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket	₩2,512
	1 bottle of red table wine, good quality	₩18,943
	2 liters of Coca-Cola	₩2,950
	Bread for 2 people for 1 day	₩3,099
Housing
	Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area	₩1,540,140
	Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area	₩1,165,300
	Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat	₩172,687
	Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area	₩1,021,250
	Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area	₩630,573
	Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio	₩164,223
	Internet 8 Mbps (1 month)	₩24,792
	40” flat screen TV	₩520,784
	Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands)	₩102,722
	Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.)	₩10,523
	Hourly rate for cleaning help	₩15,137
Clothes
	1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar)	₩72,462
	1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers)	₩52,299
	1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands)	₩100,321
	1 pair of men’s leather business shoes	₩162,813
Transportation
	Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new	₩29,521,000
	1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas	₩1,531
	Monthly ticket public transport	₩65,234
Personal Care
	Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands)	₩5,116
	1 box of antibiotics (12 doses)	₩8,491
	Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes)	₩35,877
	1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...)	₩20,195
	Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.)	₩9,294
	Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.)	₩6,111
	4 rolls of toilet paper	₩4,085
	Tube of toothpaste	₩2,460
	Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city	₩17,690
Entertainment
	Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub	₩29,617
	2 tickets to the movies	₩19,545
	2 tickets to the theater (best available seats)	₩105,003
	Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert	₩62,264
	1 cocktail drink in downtown club	₩10,209
	Cappuccino in expat area of the city	₩4,895
	1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.)	₩4,529
	iPad Wi-Fi 128GB	₩609,338
	1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans)	₩204
	1 month of gym membership in business district	₩83,253
	1 package of Marlboro cigarettes	₩4,500

Map of Cost of Living in South Korea

This map shows only the top cities in South Korea. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan.

The color of each marker corresponds with the Cost of Living in the city. Red markers show more expensive cities, green ones show cheaper cities.
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in South Korea

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking	City	Price Index *
1st	Anyang	182
2nd	Bucheon	161
3rd	Seoul	144

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Are you moving to South Korea? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?

Find out what is the real equivalent in South Korea of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.

Get a salary calculation for:

Seoul

List of all cities available in South Korea

Andong	Ansan	Anyang
Bucheon	Busan	Changwon
Chuncheon	Chungju	Daegu
Daejeon	Gangneung	Gunsan
Gwangju	Jeju	Jeonju
Jinju	Mokp'o	Seongnam
Seoul	Suwon	Uijongbu
Ulsan	Wonju	Yongin
Yosu

Recent Comparisons

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Recent Prices Added

1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Ulsan costs ₩4,800 (4 days ago)
1 month of gym membership in business district in Ulsan costs ₩100,000 (4 days ago)
Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Ulsan costs ₩6,000 (4 days ago)
Cocktail drink in downtown club in Ulsan costs ₩8,000 (4 days ago)
2 tickets to the movies in Ulsan costs ₩30,000 (4 days ago)
Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Ulsan costs ₩40,000 (4 days ago)
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Ulsan costs ₩20,000 (4 days ago)
One-way ticket in public transport in Ulsan costs ₩1,250 (4 days ago)
Taxi fare per distance, weekday at noon, per 1 km. in Ulsan costs ₩1,000 (4 days ago)
Taxi, initial meter charge, weekday at noon in Ulsan costs ₩2,800 (4 days ago)

Cost of living in South Korea