Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and India

Name: India
Address: IN

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

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🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

South Korea $1,596
India $399

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

South Korea $2,542
India $639

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

South Korea $3,487
India $879

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 South Korea is roughly 300% more expensive than in India on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ₩9,875

$2.14 ₹204

247.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 ₩59.1K

$10.46 ₹995

325.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,641

$3.80 ₹361

71.32%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₩5,081

$1.68 ₹160

127.98%

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

$1.59 ₩2,112

$0.38 ₹35.99

318.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₩1,033

$0.15 ₹14.60

420.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₩5,091

$1.87 ₹178

105.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,869

$3.18 ₹303

38.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ₩2,919

$0.62 ₹59.2

254.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 ₩3,930

$0.50 ₹47.76

492.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,692

$0.63 ₹60.3

461.90%

Eggs

$3.22 ₩4,269

$0.96 ₹91.3

235.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₩17.7K

$4.85 ₹461

175.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 ₩11.8K

$2.84 ₹271

213.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩34.7K

Apples (1kg)

$8.49 ₩11.3K

$2.00 ₹190

324.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,493

$0.65 ₹61.4

421.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 ₩8,513

$0.97 ₹92.3

561.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,792

$0.47 ₹44.30

1148.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₩5,164

$0.34 ₹31.87

1044.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 ₩3,772

$0.42 ₹39.73

576.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 ₩3,567

$0.47 ₹44.39

472.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,532

$0.31 ₹29.67

270.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,542

$5.08 ₹483

-32.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ₩22.0K

$7.31 ₹695

126.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₩2,820

$1.63 ₹155

30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,859

$2.76 ₹262

5.43%

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

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,456

$0.26 ₹24.86

323.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.35 ₩64.2K

$8.58 ₹816

463.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,665

$1.00 ₹94.7

252.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩866

$0.27 ₹25.74

140.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 ₩12.1K

$1.54 ₹146

492.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₩1,832

$1.07 ₹102

28.97%

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

$30.3K ₩40.1M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

169.80%

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

$30.0K ₩39.8M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

49.58%

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

$210 ₩278.3K

$37.08 ₹3,527

465.56%

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

$40.27 ₩53.4K

$3.58 ₹340

1024.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 ₩32.1K

$7.15 ₹680

238.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ₩71.4K

$15.00 ₹1,427

258.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ₩22.3K

$7.17 ₹682

134.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 ₩15.3K

$3.20 ₹304

259.38%

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

$985 ₩1.3M

$58.8 ₹5,592

1575.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K ₩31.4M

$1,667 ₹158.5K

1319.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.2K

$23.03 ₹2,191

155.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.48 ₩60.3K

$24.17 ₹2,299

88.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ₩103.9K

$41.20 ₹3,918

90.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 ₩129.6K

$29.62 ₹2,817

229.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₩855.8K

$146 ₹13.9K

340.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ₩591.6K

$96.4 ₹9,165

362.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₩2.3M

$343 ₹32.6K

399.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 ₩1.3M

$234 ₹22.2K

327.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K ₩20.9M

$1,177 ₹111.9K

1239.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,299 ₩11.0M

$633 ₹60.2K

1210.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,345 ₩3.1M

$409 ₹38.9K

473.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

8.93

-52.63%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

South Korea

$451 28.3%

India

$102 25.6% 77.3% $349

Accommodation & Living

South Korea

$446 27.9%

India

$96 24.1% 78.4% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Korea

$274 17.2%

India

$48 12% 82.6% $226

Eating Out

South Korea

$163 10.2%

India

$67 16.7% 59.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

South Korea

$126 7.9%

India

$53 13.3% 57.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

South Korea

$77 4.8%

India

$21 5.4% 72.1% $55

Getting Around

South Korea

$60 3.7%

India

$12 3% 79.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $2,148 in South Korea, $412 in India. 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

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

3 h 30 min behind South Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,466,201

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,479 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR).

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 = 9.43 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

South Korea
India

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

South Korea vs India: 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.