Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Korea Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

😐 Solo nomad: United States is 19.3% more expensive than South Korea without rent, and 81.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United States is 20.4% more expensive than South Korea without rent, and 58.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$7.23 ₩10.5K

176.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$43.51 ₩63.5K

71.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$5.89 ₩8,598

93.55%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.88 ₩5,665

38.40%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.58 ₩2,306

66.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.83 ₩1,216

148.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.64 ₩5,308

62.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.84 ₩7,060

45.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.12 ₩3,087

-48.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.11 ₩4,537

14.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.00 ₩4,379

57.67%

Eggs

$4.30 $4.30

$2.97 ₩4,336

44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$13.82 ₩20.2K

-5.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$9.32 ₩13.6K

31.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 $16.36

$30.10 ₩43.9K

-45.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$7.69 ₩11.2K

-32.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$3.52 ₩5,144

-51.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$5.82 ₩8,488

-21.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$6.28 ₩9,164

-20.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.88 ₩5,663

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.97 ₩4,327

2.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.50 ₩3,655

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.21 ₩1,770

79.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$3.40 ₩4,961

189.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$17.16 ₩25.0K

-11.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.05 ₩2,998

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.84 ₩4,139

26.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.08 ₩1,576

130.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 $66.1

$46.58 ₩68.0K

41.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.38 ₩4,926

13.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.54 ₩784

229.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 $29.48

$8.72 ₩12.7K

238.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.24 ₩1,805

-26.61%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$27.3K ₩39.9M

7.99%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.0K ₩35.1M

8.74%

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

$206 $206

$170 ₩247.9K

21.38%

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

$56.9 $56.9

$41.12 ₩60.0K

38.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$22.21 ₩32.4K

227.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.23 $45.23

$52.5 ₩76.6K

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.84 $21.84

$19.47 ₩28.4K

12.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$11.21 ₩16.4K

23.02%

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

$1,355 $1,355

$387 ₩565.1K

249.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K $22.6K

$22.6K ₩33.0M

-0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$57.9 ₩84.5K

-11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 $42.37

$48.99 ₩71.5K

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 $88.6

$80.4 ₩117.4K

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$109 ₩158.7K

5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 $1,763

$618 ₩902.1K

185.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 $1,432

$409 ₩597.3K

249.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 $2,827

$1,575 ₩2.3M

79.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,358 $2,358

$978 ₩1.4M

141.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,391 $3,391

$14.2K ₩20.8M

-76.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,614 $2,614

$8,729 ₩12.7M

-70.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,326 $4,326

$2,228 ₩3.3M

94.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

4.2

55.00%

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

Last update for United States: March 3, 2026

Last update for South Korea: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Korea Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Korea

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

United States

South Korea

United States

South Korea

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