Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,596 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,596 in South Korea, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
South Korea $1,596

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,542 in South Korea, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
South Korea $2,542

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,487 in South Korea, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
South Korea $3,487

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in South Korea ($1,044–$1,848), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 54% higher than in South Korea on average.

Both the United Kingdom and South Korea are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, South Korea by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$7.44 ₩9,936

188.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$44.54 ₩59.5K

92.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$6.51 ₩8,694

62.98%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$3.83 ₩5,113

28.20%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.59 ₩2,125

67.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.78 ₩1,039

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$3.84 ₩5,122

72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$4.42 ₩5,906

54.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.20 ₩2,937

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.96 ₩3,954

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$3.54 ₩4,722

-38.70%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.22 ₩4,296

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$13.36 ₩17.8K

-29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$8.89 ₩11.9K

3.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$26.17 ₩34.9K

-43.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-65.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$3.39 ₩4,521

-52.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$6.42 ₩8,565

-55.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$5.87 ₩7,840

-40.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$3.89 ₩5,196

-52.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.84 ₩3,796

-43.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.69 ₩3,589

-53.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.15 ₩1,542

44.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$3.42 ₩4,570

591.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$16.56 ₩22.1K

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$2.13 ₩2,837

39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$2.91 ₩3,883

20.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$1.10 ₩1,465

261.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$48.35 ₩64.6K

122.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$3.52 ₩4,694

47.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$0.65 ₩872

261.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$9.13 ₩12.2K

193.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.38 ₩1,844

44.20%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$30.3K ₩40.4M

30.38%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$30.0K ₩40.0M

34.99%

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

$327 £244

$210 ₩280.0K

56.02%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$40.27 ₩53.8K

-54.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$24.18 ₩32.3K

80.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$53.8 ₩71.8K

-21.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$16.81 ₩22.4K

8.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$11.50 ₩15.4K

20.43%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$985 ₩1.3M

89.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$23.7K ₩31.6M

-4.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$58.9 ₩78.6K

57.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$45.48 ₩60.7K

0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$78.3 ₩104.6K

29.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$97.7 ₩130.4K

4.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$645 ₩861.1K

108.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$446 ₩595.3K

140.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,711 ₩2.3M

30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$999 ₩1.3M

74.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$15.8K ₩21.1M

-64.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$8,299 ₩11.1M

-48.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$2,345 ₩3.1M

42.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

4.23

25.77%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 58.5% $627

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 29.5% $115

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 50.4% $165

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 46.8% $144

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 18.2% $28

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 57.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 9.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $493 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $924 in Seoul.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $2,148 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 161% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 98% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 110% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 51% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

9 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

51,466,201

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom South Korea 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Korea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 35% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $493 in South Korea.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Korea, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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