Cost of Living in South Korea - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $949 (excluding rent), and $1,521 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,310 (excluding rent), and $3,419 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.23 ₩10.5K

$5.78 ₩8,436

$10.83 ₩15.8K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.51 ₩63.5K

$29.01 ₩42.3K

$72.5 ₩105.8K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 ₩8,598

$5.45 ₩7,955

$7.06 ₩10.3K

Cappuccino

$3.88 ₩5,665

$2.27 ₩3,306

$4.92 ₩7,182

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

$1.58 ₩2,306

$1.09 ₩1,585

$2.27 ₩3,314

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₩1,216

$0.69 ₩1,003

$1.53 ₩2,234

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩5,308

$1.82 ₩2,661

$5.09 ₩7,433

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 ₩7,060

$2.98 ₩4,342

$6.99 ₩10.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ₩3,087

$1.43 ₩2,082

$2.85 ₩4,163

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,537

$1.86 ₩2,710

$5.93 ₩8,661

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 ₩4,379

$1.59 ₩2,327

$4.73 ₩6,907

Eggs

$2.97 ₩4,336

$1.73 ₩2,527

$5.20 ₩7,595

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 ₩20.2K

$7.34 ₩10.7K

$33.03 ₩48.2K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 ₩13.6K

$4.40 ₩6,426

$13.94 ₩20.3K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.10 ₩43.9K

$12.41 ₩18.1K

$51.6 ₩75.3K

Apples (1kg)

$7.69 ₩11.2K

$3.58 ₩5,229

$12.92 ₩18.9K

Banana (1kg)

$3.52 ₩5,144

$2.24 ₩3,271

$7.49 ₩10.9K

Oranges (1kg)

$5.82 ₩8,488

$2.51 ₩3,666

$10.77 ₩15.7K

Tomato (1kg)

$6.28 ₩9,164

$2.24 ₩3,262

$10.46 ₩15.3K

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₩5,663

$2.03 ₩2,958

$6.02 ₩8,786

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 ₩4,327

$1.51 ₩2,201

$5.14 ₩7,501

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 ₩3,655

$1.48 ₩2,166

$4.05 ₩5,910

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₩1,770

$0.61 ₩885

$1.51 ₩2,205

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ₩4,961

$3.77 ₩5,501

Wine (Bottle)

$17.16 ₩25.0K

$8.24 ₩12.0K

$27.44 ₩40.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₩2,998

$1.30 ₩1,893

$3.47 ₩5,063

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₩4,139

$1.44 ₩2,098

$5.03 ₩7,337

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₩1,576

$0.94 ₩1,376

$1.25 ₩1,820

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.58 ₩68.0K

$43.67 ₩63.7K

$65.5 ₩95.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 ₩4,926

$2.85 ₩4,152

$3.74 ₩5,462

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 ₩784

$0.51 ₩742

$0.94 ₩1,369

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 ₩12.7K

$8.43 ₩12.3K

$14.52 ₩21.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,805

$1.21 ₩1,760

$1.40 ₩2,043

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

$27.3K ₩39.9M

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

$24.0K ₩35.1M

$22.0K ₩32.0M

$26.4K ₩38.6M

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

$170 ₩247.9K

$112 ₩164.1K

$250 ₩364.6K

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

$41.12 ₩60.0K

$19.93 ₩29.1K

$53.1 ₩77.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.21 ₩32.4K

$14.83 ₩21.6K

$33.37 ₩48.7K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩76.6K

$22.22 ₩32.4K

$88.9 ₩129.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 ₩28.4K

$7.25 ₩10.6K

$31.90 ₩46.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ₩16.4K

$8.97 ₩13.1K

$13.46 ₩19.6K

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

$387 ₩565.1K

$259 ₩377.8K

$962 ₩1.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K ₩33.0M

$14.4K ₩21.0M

$32.0K ₩46.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 ₩84.5K

$36.39 ₩53.1K

$94.6 ₩138.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.99 ₩71.5K

$26.17 ₩38.2K

$74.8 ₩109.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₩117.4K

$52.3 ₩76.3K

$112 ₩163.5K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ₩158.7K

$59.1 ₩86.3K

$185 ₩269.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₩902.1K

$359 ₩523.9K

$1,097 ₩1.6M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₩597.3K

$219 ₩320.3K

$878 ₩1.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 ₩2.3M

$742 ₩1.1M

$3,562 ₩5.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 ₩1.4M

$515 ₩751.8K

$1,840 ₩2.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ₩20.8M

$5,425 ₩7.9M

$35.3K ₩51.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,729 ₩12.7M

$3,472 ₩5.1M

$18.1K ₩26.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,228 ₩3.3M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

3.5

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

Last update: March 3, 2026

By City in South Korea

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
1	Andong	166274	70	$794	$1,390	$2,288	$3,016	267.57	186.12
2	Ansan	677710	72	$812	$1,423	$2,289	$2,969	32.56	237.1
3	Anseong-si	181319	70	$946	$1,411	$2,242	$2,983	71.07	214.15
4	Anyang	587764	66	$775	$1,307	$1,994	$3,105	147.63	295.48
5	Boryeong	103620	74	$820	$1,457	$2,650	$3,307	128.08	102.82
6	Bucheon	848191	74	$945	$1,498	$2,110	$3,259	185.75	282.35
7	Busan	3586079	75	$983	$1,504	$2,361	$3,258	103.54	313.37
8	Changwon	1055839	74	$882	$1,511	$2,405	$3,122	149	262.32
9	Cheonan	658486	64	$827	$1,264	$1,764	$2,696	37.91	230.74
10	Cheongju	835669	64	$728	$1,295	$2,272	$2,493	248	275.51
11	Chuncheon	280061	67	$720	$1,341	$2,142	$2,607	74.33	332.99
12	Chungju	208529	72	$866	$1,452	$1,805	$2,995	44.7	161.6
13	Daegu	2528933	68	$1,023	$1,360	$1,870	$2,896	288.08	362.24
14	Daejeon	1537324	66	$717	$1,339	$2,116	$2,770	42.15	233.25
15	Geoje	254073	68	$883	$1,375	$2,224	$2,991	277.95	256.57
16	Gimcheon	143056	74	$1,034	$1,465	$2,532	$3,309	9.98	186.11
17	Gimhae	532132	75	$1,043	$1,524	$2,504	$3,112	235.86	241.69
18	Gongju	110428	75	$1,042	$1,517	$2,105	$3,191	96.39	225.64
19	Gwangju	1467996	70	$940	$1,388	$2,186	$2,889	160.87	249.96
20	Gyeonggi	-	71	$977	$1,398	$2,024	$4,008	189.96	290.71
21	Gyeongju	258156	75	$910	$1,515	$2,065	$3,105	55.5	192.84
22	Icheon	213059	73	$895	$1,483	$2,015	$3,053	53.24	192.03
23	Iksan	307000	70	$768	$1,395	$2,067	$3,032	90.56	238.15
24	Ilsan	-	76	$912	$1,486	$2,601	$3,329	47.68	354.35
25	Incheon	2870545	68	$730	$1,338	$1,766	$2,971	130.56	229.78
26	Jecheon	136432	75	$1,038	$1,509	$2,107	$3,234	225.88	188.59
27	Jeju	469279	68	$801	$1,350	$1,768	$3,258	32	211.59
28	Jeonju	653387	62	$934	$1,258	$1,703	$2,604	153.57	227.01
29	Jinju	340548	74	$814	$1,485	$2,627	$3,284	101.05	196.44
30	Mokpo	237739	72	$892	$1,452	$2,295	$3,149	31.74	225.59
31	Pangyo	-	72	$885	$1,449	$2,127	$3,173	100.36	277.13
32	Pohang	514869	67	$756	$1,318	$1,943	$2,709	107.02	228.78
33	Pyeongtaek	489081	73	$945	$1,452	$1,918	$3,014	66.73	230.44
34	Sacheon	117500	70	$817	$1,410	$2,072	$2,943	10.3	163.66
35	Sangju	100947	72	$1,014	$1,462	$2,281	$3,143	41.55	96.85
36	Seogwipo	155641	70	$824	$1,411	$2,198	$2,948	63.93	291.39
37	Seongnam	967510	84	$958	$1,686	$2,318	$3,308	276.76	277.6
38	Seoul	9509458	88	$1,003	$1,733	$2,527	$3,897	36.59	190.4
39	Songdo-dong	-	71	$824	$1,411	$2,206	$3,056	74.62	314.36
40	Suji-gu	-	74	$805	$1,458	$2,347	$3,248	27.53	287.59
41	Suwon	1203000	69	$657	$1,372	$1,854	$2,899	80.21	271.91
42	Uijeongbu	463077	63	$793	$1,239	$2,072	$2,789	263.78	249.75
43	Ulsan	1129827	71	$821	$1,402	$1,824	$3,022	42.91	276.9
44	Wonju	340196	75	$923	$1,512	$2,225	$3,136	46.23	215.71
45	Yangsan	335474	75	$1,004	$1,518	$2,431	$3,188	181.6	142.47
46	Yeosu	288988	73	$820	$1,460	$2,091	$3,087	228.02	177.29
47	Yongin	1004081	67	$697	$1,321	$1,671	$2,768	214.65	264.47

South Korea Median Internet Speeds (Updated January 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in South Korea - Frequently Asked Questions

In South Korea, affordability is highly location driven: Seoul is pricier, while other cities and rural areas offer more breathing room. When you compare options, Cost of Living in South Korea varies by city and lifestyle, and public transit is efficient and widely used, helping daily costs stay manageable if you stay near a transit hub. For travelers, expats, and digital nomads, value comes from flexible leases, guesthouses, and share houses, plus abundant street food and markets that stretch meals farther. The vibe blends modern convenience with culture, and seasonality brings different perks. Tip: Map out a few neighborhoods and compare transit passes to estimate your core monthly expenses.

South Korea living cost varies by city and lifestyle, so your plan should start with a rough map of priorities. Housing runs from compact officetels and shared flats to traditional rentals; understand local terms like monthly rent versus Jeonse if you plan to stay longer. Food options span markets, street stalls, and affordable eateries alongside convenience stores. Public transit is fast and convenient, with reliable subways and buses that let you explore neighborhoods without a car. Co-working spaces and cafes can fit different work styles and budgets. Tip: Use transit passes, shop at markets, and test different neighborhoods before committing.

Quality of life depends on finding a neighborhood that fits your routine and a budgeting framework that keeps goals realistic. Start with a simple monthly plan: housing, food, transport, and utilities, then add flexible funds for social activities. Seasonal shifts matter – spring and fall bring milder days for outdoor exploring, while humidity in summer and dry winters change comfort needs and energy use. To save, mix shopping at traditional markets with planned purchases at grocery chains, and favor public spaces over expensive entertainment. For neighborhood fit, prioritize transit access, safe walkability, and nearby cafes or parks that support your work and downtime. Tip: test a couple of areas for a week or two before committing.