Cost of living in South Korea
Summary of cost of living in South Korea
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₩6,204,223
- Single person estimated monthly costs: ₩3,551,791
- South Korea is the 4th most expensive country in Asia (4 out of 13)
- Cost of living in South Korea is more expensive than in 62% of countries in the World (27 out of 68)
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | ₩12,194 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | ₩7,703 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | ₩6,868 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | ₩2,958 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | ₩5,799 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | ₩8,019 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | ₩7,984 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | ₩8,597 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | ₩4,900 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | ₩2,718 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | ₩20,791 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | ₩3,589 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | ₩4,247 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | ₩3,572,230 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | ₩1,809,060 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | ₩240,148 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | ₩1,264,360 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | ₩725,161 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | ₩80,000 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | ₩30,234 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | ₩433,362 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | ₩100,000 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | ₩16,029 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | ₩14,433 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | ₩85,819 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | ₩61,053 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | ₩96,399 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | ₩148,450 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | ₩42,078,700 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | ₩1,740 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | ₩57,662 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | ₩7,985 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | ₩12,000 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | ₩53,966 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | ₩20,000 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | ₩15,000 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | ₩9,644 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | ₩3,593 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | ₩6,320 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | ₩14,338 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | ₩34,756 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | ₩27,364 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | ₩249,761 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | ₩69,455 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | ₩15,654 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | ₩5,510 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | ₩4,817 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | ₩814,125 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | ₩206 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | ₩98,667 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | ₩4,500 | ||
Moving to South Korea with your children?
International Schools in South Korea
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:
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.
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:
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Seoul is 28% more expensive than in Taipei
- Cost of living in Seoul is 4% more expensive than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Busan is 21% cheaper than in Seoul
- Cost of living in Busan is 14% more expensive than in Kaohsiung City
- Cost of living in Seoul is 49% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Seoul is 33% more expensive than in Santiago, Chile
- Cost of living in Seoul is 46% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Daegu is 20% cheaper than in Abbotsford
- Cost of living in Seoul is 24% more expensive than in Mexico City
- Cost of living in Seoul is 19% cheaper than in Jacksonville, Florida
- Cost of living in Seoul is 41% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Anyang, South Korea is 36% more expensive than in Taichung City
- Cost of living in Seoul is 24% cheaper than in Vancouver
- Cost of living in Seoul is 45% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Seoul is 4% more expensive than in Port of Spain
- Cost of living in Seoul is 54% more expensive than in Cuernavaca
- Cost of living in Seoul is 101% more expensive than in Mumbai
- Cost of living in Seoul is about the same as in Madrid
- Cost of living in Seoul is 45% cheaper than in San Francisco, California
- Cost of living in Seoul is 44% more expensive than in Almería