Cost of Living · JP vs KR
🇯🇵 Tokyo vs 🇰🇷 Seoul: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,435 in Japan vs $1,390 in South Korea — 3.17% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Korea
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -3.6%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -3.6%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -3.6%
Closest to Japan prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -1.03%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -1.04%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -1.04%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Japan | South Korea | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $972 | $937 (1,332,671 KRW) | -3.6% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $778 | $750 (1,066,134 KRW) | -3.6% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,777 | $1,713 (2,436,897 KRW) | -3.6% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.34 | $11.02 (15,675 KRW) | -2.82% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $47.25 | $45.90 (65,290 KRW) | -2.86% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.23 | $7.04 (10,014 KRW) | -2.63% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.79 | $0.77 (1,095 KRW) | -2.53% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.29 | $2.24 (3,186 KRW) | -2.18% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.43 | $2.38 (3,385 KRW) | -2.06% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.15 | $7.00 (9,957 KRW) | -2.1% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.86 | $2.80 (3,983 KRW) | -2.1% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.43 | $3.36 (4,779 KRW) | -2.04% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.57 | $8.40 (11,949 KRW) | -1.98% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.43 | $1.40 (1,991 KRW) | -2.1% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.78 | $3.67 (5,220 KRW) | -2.91% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.76 | $6.69 (9,516 KRW) | -1.04% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.15 | $3.06 (4,353 KRW) | -2.86% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.64 | $1.61 (2,290 KRW) | -1.83% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $42.71 | $41.60 (59,174 KRW) | -2.6% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.81 | $1.76 (2,504 KRW) | -2.76% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.52 | $2.45 (3,485 KRW) | -2.78% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.13 | $1.10 (1,565 KRW) | -2.65% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.80 | $0.79 (1,124 KRW) | -1.25% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $131 | $128 (182,072 KRW) | -2.59% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $45.99 | $44.80 (63,725 KRW) | -2.59% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $29.57 | $28.80 (40,966 KRW) | -2.6% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $31.50 | $30.60 (43,527 KRW) | -2.86% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.82 | $8.57 (12,190 KRW) | -2.83% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.90 | $18.36 (26,116 KRW) | -2.86% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.49 | $46.01 (65,447 KRW) | -1.03% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $76.08 | $75.29 (107,096 KRW) | -1.04% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $157 | $153 (217,662 KRW) | -2.84% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is South Korea than Japan?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,390 in South Korea versus $1,435 in Japan — 3.17% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Korea?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.67 in South Korea (≈ 5220.36 KRW), versus about $3.78 in Japan.
- How much is rent in South Korea compared to Japan?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $937/month in South Korea versus $972/month in Japan (-3.6%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.