Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $1,596 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
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South Korea Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index

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🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Turkey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,596 per month in South Korea vs $1,212 in Turkey, rent included.

South Korea $1,596
Turkey $1,212

A couple spends around $2,542 per month in South Korea vs $1,844 in Turkey, rent included.

South Korea $2,542
Turkey $1,844

A family of three spends $3,487 per month in South Korea vs $2,475 in Turkey, rent included.

South Korea $3,487
Turkey $2,475

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in South Korea ($1,044–$1,848), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Korea is about 32% higher than in Turkey on average.

South Korea sits 17% above the global median, while Turkey is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ₩9,936

$9.14 ₺456

-18.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 ₩59.5K

$40.12 ₺2,003

11.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,694

$8.91 ₺445

-26.94%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₩5,113

$3.75 ₺187

2.13%

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

$1.59 ₩2,125

$1.47 ₺73.5

8.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₩1,039

$0.56 ₺27.71

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₩5,122

$3.84 ₺192

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,906

$4.91 ₺245

-9.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ₩2,937

$1.02 ₺51.2

115.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 ₩3,954

$1.00 ₺50.0

196.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,722

$2.20 ₺110

60.91%

Eggs

$3.22 ₩4,296

$2.21 ₺111

45.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₩17.8K

$9.72 ₺485

37.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 ₩11.9K

$4.86 ₺243

82.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩34.9K

$20.09 ₺1,003

30.26%

Apples (1kg)

$8.49 ₩11.3K

$1.86 ₺92.6

356.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,521

$1.98 ₺99.1

71.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 ₩8,565

$1.06 ₺53.2

505.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,840

$1.36 ₺68.0

331.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₩5,196

$0.54 ₺26.91

620.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 ₩3,796

$0.45 ₺22.35

531.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 ₩3,589

$1.00 ₺49.70

169.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.69 ₺34.29

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,570

$2.26 ₺113

51.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ₩22.1K

$11.91 ₺594

39.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₩2,837

$2.24 ₺112

-4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,883

$2.85 ₺142

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,465

$0.76 ₺38.08

44.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.35 ₩64.6K

$39.49 ₺1,972

22.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,694

$1.42 ₺71.1

147.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩872

$0.84 ₺41.73

-22.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 ₩12.2K

$7.98 ₺398

14.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₩1,844

$1.38 ₺69.0

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

$30.3K ₩40.4M

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-27.33%

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

$30.0K ₩40.0M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-25.66%

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

$210 ₩280.0K

$75.0 ₺3,743

179.76%

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

$40.27 ₩53.8K

$10.38 ₺518

287.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 ₩32.3K

$15.56 ₺777

55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ₩71.8K

$55.2 ₺2,758

-2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ₩22.4K

$21.01 ₺1,049

-19.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 ₩15.4K

$6.87 ₺343

67.39%

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

$985 ₩1.3M

$680 ₺34.0K

44.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K ₩31.6M

$15.9K ₺794.0K

48.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.6K

$54.7 ₺2,729

7.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.48 ₩60.7K

$42.98 ₺2,146

5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ₩104.6K

$102 ₺5,084

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 ₩130.4K

$93.9 ₺4,686

4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₩861.1K

$614 ₺30.7K

5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ₩595.3K

$441 ₺22.0K

1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₩2.3M

$1,011 ₺50.5K

69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 ₩1.3M

$703 ₺35.1K

42.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K ₩21.1M

$1,710 ₺85.4K

822.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,299 ₩11.1M

$1,115 ₺55.7K

644.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,345 ₩3.1M

$1,061 ₺53.0K

121.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

41.67

-89.85%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

South Korea

$451 28.3%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 46.9% $212

Accommodation & Living

South Korea

$446 27.9%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 1.2% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Korea

$274 17.2%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 63.2% $173

Eating Out

South Korea

$163 10.2%

Turkey

$182 15% 12% $19

Clothing & Footwear

South Korea

$126 7.9%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 4.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

South Korea

$77 4.8%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 10.2% $7.8

Getting Around

South Korea

$60 3.7%

Turkey

$48 4% 19.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $493 in South Korea vs $446 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $924 in Seoul and $765 in Ankara.

Average salary: $2,148 in South Korea vs $1,034 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 24% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 45% more expensive in South Korea.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

6 h behind South Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,466,201

85,372,377

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Korea Turkey 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Korea
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 24% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Korea: a central one-bedroom averages $493 versus $446 in Turkey.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Turkey – part of why living there is about 24% cheaper overall.

Turkey is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.