Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,596 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in South Korea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in South Korea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $1,596 in South Korea.

India $399
South Korea $1,596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $2,542 in South Korea.

India $639
South Korea $2,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $3,487 in South Korea.

India $879
South Korea $3,487

Internal cost variation is higher in South Korea: monthly costs span $1,044 to $1,848, compared to $230–$813 in India. City choice carries more weight in South Korea.

Living in India costs about 75% less than in South Korea on average.

India (71% below) and South Korea (17% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$7.44 ₩9,875

-71.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹995

$44.54 ₩59.1K

-76.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$6.51 ₩8,641

-41.63%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$3.83 ₩5,081

-56.14%

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

$0.38 ₹35.99

$1.59 ₩2,112

-76.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.60

$0.78 ₩1,033

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$3.84 ₩5,091

-51.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$4.42 ₩5,869

-28.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$2.20 ₩2,919

-71.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.76

$2.96 ₩3,930

-83.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.3

$3.54 ₩4,692

-82.20%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.3

$3.22 ₩4,269

-70.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹461

$13.36 ₩17.7K

-63.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$8.89 ₩11.8K

-68.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩34.7K

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-76.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$3.39 ₩4,493

-80.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.3

$6.42 ₩8,513

-84.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.30

$5.87 ₩7,792

-91.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.87

$3.89 ₩5,164

-91.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.73

$2.84 ₩3,772

-85.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.39

$2.69 ₩3,567

-82.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.67

$1.15 ₩1,532

-73.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$3.42 ₩4,542

48.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹695

$16.56 ₩22.0K

-55.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$2.13 ₩2,820

-23.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$2.91 ₩3,859

-5.15%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.86

$1.10 ₩1,456

-76.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹816

$48.35 ₩64.2K

-82.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.7

$3.52 ₩4,665

-71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.74

$0.65 ₩866

-58.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$9.13 ₩12.1K

-83.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.38 ₩1,832

-22.46%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$30.3K ₩40.1M

-62.94%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$30.0K ₩39.8M

-33.14%

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

$37.08 ₹3,527

$210 ₩278.3K

-82.32%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$40.27 ₩53.4K

-91.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹680

$24.18 ₩32.1K

-70.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,427

$53.8 ₩71.4K

-72.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹682

$16.81 ₩22.3K

-57.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$11.50 ₩15.3K

-72.17%

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

$58.8 ₹5,592

$985 ₩1.3M

-94.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.5K

$23.7K ₩31.4M

-92.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,191

$58.9 ₩78.2K

-60.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,299

$45.48 ₩60.3K

-46.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,918

$78.3 ₩103.9K

-47.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,817

$97.7 ₩129.6K

-69.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$645 ₩855.8K

-77.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,165

$446 ₩591.6K

-78.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$1,711 ₩2.3M

-79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$999 ₩1.3M

-76.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.9K

$15.8K ₩20.9M

-92.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.2K

$8,299 ₩11.0M

-92.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$2,345 ₩3.1M

-82.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

4.23

111.11%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 341% $349

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 363% $350

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 144% $96

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 138% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 473% $226

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 259% $55

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 397% $48

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $493 in South Korea. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $924 in Seoul.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $2,148 in South Korea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 311% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 282% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 500% more expensive in South Korea.

Salaries are about 5.2 times higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India South Korea 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
South Korea

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

India vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $1,596 in South Korea, there’s a 300% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $493 in South Korea and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability; South Korea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.