Cost of Living · KR vs IT
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇮🇹 Rome: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $1,489 in Italy — 7.13% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Italy
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 2.24%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 2.26%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 2.27%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +8.19%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +8.19%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +8.19%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Italy | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $1,014 (937 EUR) | +8.19% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $811 (749 EUR) | +8.19% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $1,853 (1,713 EUR) | +8.19% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $11.72 (11 EUR) | +6.35% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $48.83 (45 EUR) | +6.38% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $7.45 (7 EUR) | +5.82% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +5.19% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +4.46% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $2.49 (2 EUR) | +4.62% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $7.32 (7 EUR) | +4.57% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $2.93 (3 EUR) | +4.64% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $3.51 (3 EUR) | +4.46% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $8.78 (8 EUR) | +4.52% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.46 (1 EUR) | +4.29% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $3.91 (4 EUR) | +6.54% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $6.84 (6 EUR) | +2.24% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $3.26 (3 EUR) | +6.54% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +4.35% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $44.01 (41 EUR) | +5.79% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $1.86 (2 EUR) | +5.68% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $2.60 (2 EUR) | +6.12% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.17 (1 EUR) | +6.36% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +2.53% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $135 (125 EUR) | +5.78% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $47.39 (44 EUR) | +5.78% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $30.47 (28 EUR) | +5.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $32.55 (30 EUR) | +6.37% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $9.12 (8 EUR) | +6.42% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $19.53 (18 EUR) | +6.37% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $47.05 (43 EUR) | +2.26% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $77.00 (71 EUR) | +2.27% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $163 (150 EUR) | +6.37% |
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 Italy than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,489 in Italy versus $1,390 in South Korea — 7.13% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Italy?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.91 in Italy (≈ 3.61 EUR), versus about $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Italy compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,014/month in Italy versus $937/month in South Korea (+8.19%). 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.