Cost of Living · KR vs CA
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇨🇦 Toronto: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $2,132 in Canada — 53.42% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Canada
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 14.91%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 14.92%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 14.95%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +62.68%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +62.68%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +62.68%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Canada | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $1,524 (2,131 CAD) | +62.68% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $1,219 (1,705 CAD) | +62.68% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $2,787 (3,896 CAD) | +62.68% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $16.15 (23 CAD) | +46.55% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $67.28 (94 CAD) | +46.58% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $9.97 (14 CAD) | +41.62% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $1.02 (1 CAD) | +32.47% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $2.96 (4 CAD) | +32.14% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $3.14 (4 CAD) | +31.93% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $9.24 (13 CAD) | +32% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $3.70 (5 CAD) | +32.14% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $4.44 (6 CAD) | +32.14% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $11.09 (16 CAD) | +32.02% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.85 (3 CAD) | +32.14% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $5.38 (8 CAD) | +46.59% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $7.69 (11 CAD) | +14.95% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $4.49 (6 CAD) | +46.73% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $2.13 (3 CAD) | +32.3% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $58.89 (82 CAD) | +41.56% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $2.49 (3 CAD) | +41.48% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $3.59 (5 CAD) | +46.53% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.61 (2 CAD) | +46.36% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.91 (1 CAD) | +15.19% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $181 (253 CAD) | +41.56% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $63.42 (89 CAD) | +41.56% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $40.77 (57 CAD) | +41.56% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $44.86 (63 CAD) | +46.6% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $12.56 (18 CAD) | +46.56% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $26.91 (38 CAD) | +46.57% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $52.87 (74 CAD) | +14.91% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $86.52 (121 CAD) | +14.92% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $224 (314 CAD) | +46.57% |
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 more expensive is Canada than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,132 in Canada versus $1,390 in South Korea — 53.42% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Canada?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.38 in Canada (≈ 7.52 CAD), versus about $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Canada compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,524/month in Canada versus $937/month in South Korea (+62.68%). 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.