Prices in South Korea
Groceries
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk (1 litre) | KRW3,640 | 2.72 | 1.08 | +151% |
| Eggs (dozen) | KRW9,000 | 6.73 | 2.32 | +190% |
| Butter (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Rice (1 kg) | KRW3,158 | 2.36 | 2.43 | −3% |
| Sliced bread (500 g) | No data | |||
| Flour (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Spaghetti (500 g) | No data | |||
| Chicken breast (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Minced beef (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Pork (1 kg) | KRW29,930 | 22.39 | 9.96 | +125% |
| Tomatoes (1 kg) | KRW4,434 | 3.32 | 4.59 | −28% |
| Potatoes (1 kg) | KRW3,370 | 2.52 | 2.18 | +16% |
| Onions (1 kg) | KRW1,969 | 1.47 | — | — |
| Apples (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Bananas (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Oranges (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Sugar (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Cooking oil (1 litre) | No data | |||
| Coffee (1 kg) | No data | |||
| Coca-Cola (500 ml) | No data | |||
| Bottled water (500 ml) | No data | |||
| Red Bull (250 ml) | No data | |||
| Canned beer (one can) | No data | |||
| IKEA meatballs (1 kg) | KRW19,900 | 14.89 | 14.99 | −1% |
Eating out
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Mac | KRW5,700 | 4.26 | 6.22 | −31% |
| Inexpensive restaurant meal | KRW12,000 | 8.98 | — | — |
| Cigarettes (pack) | No data | |||
Housing and bills
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom rent (month) | KRW640,000plus taxestimate | 479 | 4,720 | −90% |
| Electricity (1 kWh) | No data | |||
| Home fibre broadband (monthly) | No data | |||
| Mobile plan (monthly) | KRW59,000 | 44.14 | — | — |
| TV licence fee (yearly) | No data | |||
| Stamp for a letter | KRW500 | 0.37 | 0.82 | −54% |
Furniture and homeware
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA BILLY bookcase | KRW89,900 | 67.25 | 79.00 | −15% |
| IKEA KALLAX shelf unit | KRW109,000 | 81.54 | 79.99 | +2% |
| IKEA LACK side table | KRW15,900 | 11.89 | 16.99 | −30% |
| IKEA POÄNG armchair | KRW99,900 | 74.73 | 149 | −50% |
| IKEA MARKUS office chair | KRW199,000 | 149 | 300 | −50% |
| IKEA FRAKTA blue bag | KRW1,500 | 1.12 | 0.99 | +13% |
| IKEA BLÅHAJ shark | KRW24,900 | 18.63 | 29.99 | −38% |
| Le Creuset casserole (20 cm) | No data | |||
| Moleskine notebook | No data | |||
Transport and cars
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro single ride | No data | |||
| City bus ride | KRW1,500 | 1.12 | 3.00 | −63% |
| Transit day pass | KRW5,000 | 3.74 | — | — |
| Transit pass (month) | No data | |||
| Taxi flag-fall | KRW4,800 | 3.59 | 3.00 | +20% |
| Airport train to the city | No data | |||
| Petrol (1 litre) | KRW1,855 | 1.39 | 1.06 | +32% |
| Diesel (1 litre) | KRW1,842 | 1.38 | 1.62 | −15% |
| Tesla Model 3 | KRW46,990,000 | 35,151 | 36,990 | −5% |
| Tesla Model Y | KRW49,990,000 | 37,396 | 39,990 | −6% |
Phones and electronics
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | KRW1,450,000 | 1,085 | 929 | +17% |
| iPhone Pro | KRW1,990,000 | 1,489 | 1,199 | +24% |
| Galaxy S26 | KRW1,234,500 | 923 | 1,000 | −8% |
| Galaxy Z Fold8 | No data | |||
| iPad | KRW749,000 | 560 | 449 | +25% |
| MacBook Air | KRW2,190,000 | 1,638 | 1,299 | +26% |
| MacBook Pro 14-inch | KRW3,290,000 | 2,461 | 1,999 | +23% |
| Mac mini | KRW1,499,000 | 1,121 | 899 | +25% |
| AirPods Pro | KRW369,000 | 276 | 249 | +11% |
| Apple Watch | KRW599,000 | 448 | 399 | +12% |
| AirTag (single) | KRW49,000 | 36.66 | 29.00 | +26% |
| Apple Vision Pro | KRW5,790,000 | 4,331 | 3,699 | +17% |
| Sony WH-1000XM6 | KRW619,000 | 463 | 460 | +1% |
| Fujifilm X100VI | No data | |||
| DJI Osmo Pocket 3 | KRW548,000 | 410 | — | — |
| Garmin Forerunner 265 | KRW459,000 | 343 | 450 | −24% |
| Logitech MX Master 3S | No data | |||
Games and entertainment
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | KRW948,000estimate | 709 | 650 | +9% |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | KRW758,000 | 567 | 500 | +13% |
| Steam Deck OLED | No data | |||
| Mario Kart World | KRW89,800 | 67.18 | 79.99 | −16% |
| Astro Bot (PS5) | KRW69,800 | 52.21 | 59.99 | −13% |
| Elden Ring (Steam) | KRW64,800 | 48.47 | 59.99 | −19% |
| Black Myth: Wukong (Steam) | KRW64,800 | 48.47 | 59.99 | −19% |
| Stardew Valley (Steam) | KRW16,000 | 11.97 | 14.99 | −20% |
| PlayStation Plus (12 months) | KRW86,400 | 64.63 | 79.99 | −19% |
| Nintendo Switch Online (12 months) | No data | |||
| Pokémon GO, 1,200 PokéCoins | KRW11,000 | 8.23 | 9.99 | −18% |
| Genshin Impact, 6,480 Genesis Crystals | KRW141,000 | 105 | 99.99 | +5% |
| Minecraft (iOS) | KRW10,800 | 8.08 | 6.99 | +16% |
| Cinema ticket | No data | |||
Subscriptions and apps
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix (monthly) | KRW13,500 | 10.10 | 19.99 | −49% |
| Spotify (monthly) | KRW11,990 | 8.97 | 12.99 | −31% |
| YouTube Premium (monthly) | No data | |||
| Disney+ (monthly) | KRW11,500 | 8.60 | — | — |
| Amazon Prime (monthly) | No data | |||
| Apple Music (monthly) | KRW8,900 | 6.66 | 11.99 | −44% |
| Apple TV (monthly) | KRW6,500 | 4.86 | 14.99 | −68% |
| iCloud+ 2TB (monthly) | KRW14,000 | 10.47 | 9.99 | +5% |
| ChatGPT Plus (monthly) | KRW29,000 | 21.69 | 19.99 | +9% |
| Claude Pro (monthly) | KRW33,000 | 24.69 | 20.00 | +23% |
| Google AI Pro (monthly) | KRW29,000 | 21.69 | 19.99 | +9% |
| Microsoft 365 Personal (yearly) | KRW125,000 | 93.51 | 99.99 | −6% |
| Canva Pro (monthly) | No data | |||
| X Premium (monthly) | KRW12,400 | 9.28 | 11.00 | −16% |
| Discord Nitro (monthly) | KRW9,500 | 7.11 | 9.99 | −29% |
| Final Cut Pro (Mac) | KRW449,000 | 336 | 300 | +12% |
| Windows 11 Home | KRW208,000 | 156 | 139 | +12% |
Fashion and beauty
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIQLO Ultra Light Down | No data | |||
| UNIQLO AIRism T-shirt | KRW19,900 | 14.89 | 24.90 | −40% |
| UNIQLO HEATTECH | KRW14,900 | 11.15 | 19.90 | −44% |
| Levi's 501 | KRW159,000 | 119 | 79.50 | +50% |
| Nike Air Force 1 | KRW149,000 | 111 | 115 | −3% |
| Nike Air Max 90 | KRW159,000 | 119 | 135 | −12% |
| Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 | No data | |||
| Crocs Classic Clog | KRW69,900 | 52.29 | 49.99 | +5% |
| Birkenstock Arizona | KRW135,000 | 101 | 118 | −14% |
| Longchamp Le Pliage | KRW270,000 | 202 | 180 | +12% |
| Hermès Twilly | KRW370,000 | 277 | 260 | +6% |
| Hermès Oran sandals | KRW1,190,000 | 890 | 900 | −1% |
| Chanel N°5 | KRW293,000 | 219 | 190 | +15% |
| The Ordinary serum | No data | |||
| Tissot PRX | KRW1,170,000 | 875 | 850 | +3% |
| MoonSwatch | KRW445,000 | 333 | 300 | +11% |
| Rolex Submariner | KRW15,540,000 | 11,625 | 10,050 | +16% |
| Montblanc pen | KRW980,000 | 733 | 650 | +13% |
Travel and days out
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry authorisation fee | Free | Free | 40.62 | −100% |
| Passport fee | KRW52,000 | 38.90 | — | — |
| Departure tax | No data | |||
| Travel eSIM (7 days) | USD29 | 29.00 | 25.00 | +16% |
| Airmail postcard abroad | KRW430 | 0.32 | 1.75 | −82% |
| Parcel to Japan (1 kg) | KRW28,500 | 21.32 | 103 | −79% |
| Zoo admission | KRW5,000 | 3.74 | 28.95 | −87% |
| Museum admission | Free | Free | — | — |
| Observation deck ticket | KRW29,000 | 21.69 | 46.00 | −53% |
| Public pool (one visit) | No data | |||
Study abroad
| Item | Local price | In USD | In the US | vs the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University tuition, international (year) | KRW4,884,000 | 3,654 | 54,858 | −93% |
| University tuition, home students (year) | KRW4,884,000 | 3,654 | 15,588 | −77% |
| Student visa fee | Free | Free | — | — |
| IELTS test fee | KRW347,000 | 260 | 325 | −20% |
| TOEFL iBT test fee | USD232plus tax | 232 | 280 | −17% |