Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,563 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in South Korea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $1,563 in South Korea.

Italy $1,825
South Korea $1,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $2,494 in South Korea.

Italy $2,790
South Korea $2,494

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $3,425 in South Korea.

Italy $3,756
South Korea $3,425

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $1,037–$1,804 in South Korea. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 17% more expensive than in South Korea on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, South Korea 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$7.43 ₩9,881

167.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$45.18 ₩60.1K

70.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$6.40 ₩8,512

78.28%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$3.84 ₩5,101

-47.66%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$1.67 ₩2,224

87.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.82 ₩1,094

70.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$3.68 ₩4,895

56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$4.40 ₩5,853

30.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.15 ₩2,856

-24.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$3.01 ₩3,997

-20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$3.40 ₩4,524

-14.12%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$3.24 ₩4,303

28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$13.61 ₩18.1K

26.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$8.84 ₩11.8K

44.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$25.95 ₩34.5K

-21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$8.75 ₩11.6K

-70.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$3.43 ₩4,560

-38.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$6.16 ₩8,184

-57.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$5.84 ₩7,760

-42.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$4.04 ₩5,378

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.75 ₩3,650

-31.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.67 ₩3,551

-41.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.20 ₩1,597

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.44 ₩4,576

98.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$16.19 ₩21.5K

-52.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.03 ₩2,703

-11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.91 ₩3,867

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.11 ₩1,471

67.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$46.08 ₩61.3K

-6.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.64 ₩4,844

54.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.67 ₩891

155.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$9.20 ₩12.2K

259.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.33 ₩1,768

58.65%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$29.4K ₩39.0M

21.77%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$30.7K ₩40.9M

21.57%

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

$230 €204

$209 ₩277.9K

9.89%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$39.86 ₩53.0K

-70.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$23.56 ₩31.3K

29.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$54.4 ₩72.3K

-0.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$16.63 ₩22.1K

45.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$11.07 ₩14.7K

-4.43%

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

$545 €485

$928 ₩1.2M

-41.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$23.1K ₩30.7M

-50.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$57.6 ₩76.5K

53.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$43.52 ₩57.9K

-9.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$78.5 ₩104.3K

28.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$100 ₩133.5K

32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$595 ₩791.0K

34.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$418 ₩556.0K

49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$1,528 ₩2.0M

-6.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$943 ₩1.3M

9.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$16.6K ₩22.1M

-78.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$8,546 ₩11.4M

-73.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$2,300 ₩3.1M

-17.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.23

-15.84%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

South Korea

$418 26.8% 33% $206

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

South Korea

$450 28.8% 28.7% $100

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

South Korea

$162 10.4% 41.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

South Korea

$272 17.4% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

South Korea

$126 8.1% 22.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

South Korea

$77 4.9% 2% $1.5

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

South Korea

$57 3.7% 11.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $463 in South Korea. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $878 in Seoul.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $2,138 in South Korea. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 56% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 78% more in Italy.

Public transport is 242% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 13% higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

11:31 11:31 AM

7 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy South Korea 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

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

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,563 in South Korea, there's a 17% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy and $463 in South Korea. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In South Korea, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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