Cost of living in South Korea
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:
| Food | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | ₩8,985 | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | ₩6,528 | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | ₩4,957 | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | ₩2,498 | |
| 12 eggs, large | ₩3,427 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | ₩5,263 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | ₩10,856 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | ₩6,767 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | ₩4,225 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | ₩2,513 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | ₩19,403 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | ₩2,739 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | ₩3,350 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | ₩1,541,380 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | ₩1,108,410 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | ₩148,919 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | ₩994,024 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | ₩612,536 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | ₩132,259 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | ₩25,690 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | ₩512,162 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | ₩97,084 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | ₩11,442 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | ₩13,547 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | ₩83,855 | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | ₩54,603 | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | ₩96,827 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | ₩153,217 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | ₩30,660,700 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | ₩1,556 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | ₩65,989 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | ₩5,647 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | ₩7,057 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | ₩32,530 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | ₩10,272 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | ₩8,076 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | ₩7,730 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | ₩3,061 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | ₩2,686 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | ₩18,295 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | ₩30,601 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | ₩20,654 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | ₩118,894 | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | ₩60,511 | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | ₩9,150 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | ₩4,929 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | ₩4,728 | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | ₩597,994 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | ₩382 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | ₩76,765 | |
| 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 | Bucheon | 161 |
| 2nd | Seoul | 143 |
| 3rd | Busan | 127 |
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:
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Seoul is 51% more expensive than in Tehran
- Cost of living in Seoul is 35% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Seoul is 32% cheaper than in Washington D.C.
- Cost of living in Seoul is 25% more expensive than in Oporto
- Cost of living in Busan is 31% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Seoul is 38% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Seoul is 25% cheaper than in Paris
- Cost of living in Seoul is 21% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Seoul is 25% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Seoul is 13% more expensive than in Busan
- Cost of living in Seoul is 35% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Seoul is 13% cheaper than in Abu Dhabi
- Cost of living in Seoul is 18% cheaper than in Toronto
- Cost of living in Seoul is 15% more expensive than in Shanghai
- Cost of living in Seoul is 74% more expensive than in Manila
- Cost of living in Seoul is about the same as in Christchurch
- Cost of living in Seoul is 17% more expensive than in Lisbon
- Cost of living in Seoul is 16% cheaper than in Gwangju
- Cost of living in Daejeon is 11% more expensive than in São Paulo
- Cost of living in Seoul is 21% more expensive than in Bangkok
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Seoul costs ₩4,000 (5 days ago)
- Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Seoul costs ₩100,000 (5 days ago)
- Summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) in Seoul costs ₩8,000 (5 days ago)
- Bread for 2 people for 1 day (250 g) in Seoul costs ₩3,500 (5 days ago)
- 500 ml domestic beer in the supermarket in Seoul costs ₩2,000 (5 days ago)
- 1 kg of apples in Seoul costs ₩8,000 (5 days ago)
- Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Seoul costs ₩3,500 (5 days ago)
- Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Seoul costs ₩80,000 (5 days ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Seoul costs ₩12,000 (5 days ago)
- 12 tablets box of cold medicine (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) in Seoul costs ₩6,000 (5 days ago)