Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Seoul Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Seoul

🙂 Solo nomad: Des Moines, IA is 10% cheaper than Seoul without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Des Moines, IA is 4.2% more expensive than Seoul without rent, and 6.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 $16.27

$9.08 ₩13.4K

79.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 $79.4

$54.7 ₩80.6K

45.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$6.35 ₩9,351

86.14%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.88 ₩5,713

25.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.73 ₩2,551

38.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.78 ₩1,156

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.63 ₩5,352

39.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$5.93 ₩8,728

18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.17 ₩3,199

-54.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.30 ₩4,860

-23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$3.14 ₩4,632

-31.21%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$3.09 ₩4,554

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$14.13 ₩20.8K

-8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$10.89 ₩16.0K

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$33.49 ₩49.3K

-61.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$7.79 ₩11.5K

-41.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.49 ₩5,147

-58.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$5.68 ₩8,369

-34.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$6.51 ₩9,582

-45.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$4.00 ₩5,898

-58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.83 ₩4,163

6.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.55 ₩3,763

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.26 ₩1,863

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.32 $7.32

$3.32 ₩4,891

120.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 $14.14

$20.07 ₩29.6K

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.36 ₩3,481

-28.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.23 ₩4,756

24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.08 ₩1,588

65.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 $56.9

$46.67 ₩68.7K

21.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.49 ₩5,146

-43.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.53 ₩787

132.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 $20.19

$8.64 ₩12.7K

133.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.18 ₩1,744

-31.36%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.6K $25.6K

$27.6K ₩40.7M

-7.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.9K $24.9K

$24.7K ₩36.4M

0.84%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$146 $146

$164 ₩242.2K

-11.49%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$51.9 $51.9

$34.97 ₩51.5K

48.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 $53.9

$21.92 ₩32.3K

145.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 $66.8

$56.8 ₩83.6K

17.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.89 $19.89

$22.90 ₩33.7K

-13.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$11.09 ₩16.3K

33.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,360 $1,360

$407 ₩599.4K

234.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$23.6K ₩34.7M

-49.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$57.8 ₩85.2K

-7.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.35 $42.35

$46.83 ₩69.0K

-9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$78.3 ₩115.4K

-6.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$116 ₩171.5K

6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 $1,226

$938 ₩1.4M

30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 $904

$583 ₩858.4K

55.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 $1,752

$2,579 ₩3.8M

-32.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$1,333 ₩2.0M

13.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 $2,321

$22.6K ₩33.3M

-89.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,306 $2,306

$11.8K ₩17.3M

-80.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,517 $3,517

$3,198 ₩4.7M

9.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.14

57.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Des Moines, IA: January 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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