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 23.2% more expensive than South Korea without rent, and 77.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United States is 21.4% more expensive than South Korea without rent, and 53.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.25 ₩10.7K

178.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$43.33 ₩63.8K

74.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 $11.47

$6.04 ₩8,901

89.90%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$3.84 ₩5,658

33.59%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.63 ₩2,398

60.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.77 ₩1,127

177.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.57 ₩5,263

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$4.84 ₩7,134

46.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.20 ₩3,241

-50.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.09 ₩4,557

21.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.08 ₩4,530

48.38%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$2.94 ₩4,329

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$13.59 ₩20.0K

-4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.18 $12.18

$9.09 ₩13.4K

33.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.14 $16.14

$29.50 ₩43.5K

-45.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$7.71 ₩11.4K

-31.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.41 ₩5,018

-49.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$5.97 ₩8,800

-23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$6.21 ₩9,140

-20.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.81 ₩5,615

-21.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.84 ₩4,181

7.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.51 ₩3,703

-13.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.21 ₩1,787

80.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$3.26 ₩4,798

211.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$16.84 ₩24.8K

-9.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.14 ₩3,149

-7.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.92 ₩4,294

27.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.13 ₩1,663

119.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 $63.9

$46.42 ₩68.4K

37.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.24 ₩4,774

13.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.53 ₩788

232.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.06 $30.06

$8.63 ₩12.7K

248.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.22 ₩1,798

-21.31%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$28.1K ₩41.4M

7.45%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.7K ₩34.9M

10.94%

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

$207 $207

$169 ₩249.1K

22.55%

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

$57.0 $57.0

$41.72 ₩61.5K

36.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$21.57 ₩31.8K

231.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.91 $45.91

$53.1 ₩78.2K

-13.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 $22.25

$19.71 ₩29.0K

12.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$11.16 ₩16.4K

26.61%

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

$1,385 $1,385

$391 ₩575.8K

254.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$23.0K ₩33.9M

-3.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$58.4 ₩86.0K

-10.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.53 $42.53

$48.84 ₩71.9K

-12.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$80.0 ₩117.8K

12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$107 ₩157.4K

7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$626 ₩921.9K

178.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 $1,422

$408 ₩600.4K

248.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,821 $2,821

$1,566 ₩2.3M

80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,370 $2,370

$972 ₩1.4M

143.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,338 $3,338

$13.8K ₩20.4M

-75.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$8,446 ₩12.4M

-69.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,230 $4,230

$2,319 ₩3.4M

82.45%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for South Korea: January 10, 2026

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

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