Travel budget and cost of living in South Korea how much does a trip cost?
Are you planning to go to South Korea and need to budget for your trip? On this page you can see sample prices. This enables you to get to grips with actual prices and the cost of living in South Korea. Then, why not use our free tool to calculate your South Korea travel budget.
Travel budget in South Korea
South Korea: calculate your travel budget
South Korea: sample budgets by traveller type
These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in South Korea for 2 people.
Low budget
(backpacker)
Daily budget:
- $ 45 for 2 ppl.
- $ 13 per person
- $ 4.4 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 1090* (1446368 ₩)
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 78 for 2 ppl.
- $ 22 per person
- $ 7.8 per person
- $ 12 per person
Total budget:
$ 2228* (2958984 ₩)
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 103 for 2 ppl.
- $ 36 per person
- $ 13 per person
- $ 23 per person
Total budget:
$ 3423* (4545478 ₩)
* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).
Cost of living in South Korea in 2024
Cost of living: South Korea VS United States
On average, the cost of living in South Korea in 2024 is 22% less than in the United States (USA).
The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:
Explore each type of expense in detail:
Cost of living in South Korea by city
See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in South Korea compared to the national average.
Cities | /South Korea | View Details |
---|---|---|
Seoul | 18% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Seoul |
Incheon | 15% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Incheon |
Gongju | 10% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Gongju |
Nonsan | 8% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Nonsan |
Busan | 8% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Busan |
Cheonan | 7% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Cheonan |
Local prices in South Korea by expense type
South Korea: Restaurant budget
($ 5.3 to $ 12)
62% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 20
($ 14 to $ 38)
50% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 38
($ 5.3 to $ 7.2)
45% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 11
($ 2.2 to $ 5)
41% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 6
($ 1.5 to $ 5.3)
19% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.5
($ 2.2 to $ 4.9)
27% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 5.1
($ 1.1 to $ 2.3)
38% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.5
($ 0.7 to $ 1.3)
60% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2
South Korea: Hotel and accommodation budget
($ 25 to $ 295)
64% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 180
($ 28 to $ 334)
56% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 162
($ 35 to $ 354)
64% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 237
($ 62 to $ 356)
62% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 320
($ 71 to $ 419)
68% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 466
($ 30 to $ 268)
62% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 172
($ 37 to $ 419)
58% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 251
($ 48 to $ 435)
36% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 216
($ 50 to $ 310)
61% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 232
($ 51 to $ 541)
29% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 216
South Korea: Supermarket food budget
($ 1.5 to $ 3)
109% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 1.1
($ 2.1 to $ 6.8)
12% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.6
($ 1.9 to $ 5.3)
30% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 4.5
($ 1.8 to $ 6)
12% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.7
($ 4.5 to $ 14)
23% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 12
($ 3 to $ 12)
44% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 5.2
($ 2.2 to $ 9.1)
16% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 4.9
($ 2 to $ 7.5)
33% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3
($ 0.6 to $ 1.5)
46% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.2
South Korea: Public and private transport budget
($ 1 to $ 1.2)
56% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 2.5
($ 0.6 to $ 1.1)
64% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 1.7
($ 1.2 to $ 1.4)
31% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 1
($ 2.4 to $ 3.7)
4% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 3.5
($ 33 to $ 91)
20% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 72
South Korea: Leisure activity budget
($ 9.1 to $ 14)
19% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 14
($ 9.1 to $ 34)
2% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 22
South Korea: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes
($ 3.4 to $ 3.8)
66% less than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 9.9
($ 38 to $ 113)
17% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 53
($ 24 to $ 76)
11% more than in the United States (USA) Average price in the United States (USA): $ 44
Plane ticket budget
(fair price: $ 680)
(fair price: $ 1257)
(fair price: $ 552)
(fair price: $ 1492)
(fair price: $ 1234)
(fair price: $ 1524)
About the information on the cost of living in South Korea
The information about the cost of living in South Korea shown on this page comes from multiple sources, including : Numbeo, Skyscanner and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in South Korea updated on 28-09-2024.
© 2014-2024 Des Clics Nomades SAS - All right reserved
Legal notice