Cost of Living · KR vs JP
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇯🇵 Tokyo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $1,435 in Japan — 3.27% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Japan
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 1.04%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 1.05%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 1.05%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +3.74%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +3.74%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +3.74%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Japan | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $972 (145,456 JPY) | +3.74% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $778 (116,364 JPY) | +3.74% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $1,777 (265,975 JPY) | +3.74% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $11.34 (1,697 JPY) | +2.9% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $47.25 (7,071 JPY) | +2.94% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $7.23 (1,082 JPY) | +2.7% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.79 (118 JPY) | +2.6% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $2.29 (343 JPY) | +2.23% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $2.43 (364 JPY) | +2.1% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $7.15 (1,070 JPY) | +2.14% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $2.86 (428 JPY) | +2.14% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $3.43 (513 JPY) | +2.08% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $8.57 (1,283 JPY) | +2.02% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.43 (214 JPY) | +2.14% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $3.78 (566 JPY) | +3% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $6.76 (1,012 JPY) | +1.05% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $3.15 (471 JPY) | +2.94% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.64 (245 JPY) | +1.86% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $42.71 (6,392 JPY) | +2.67% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $1.81 (271 JPY) | +2.84% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $2.52 (377 JPY) | +2.86% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.13 (169 JPY) | +2.73% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.80 (120 JPY) | +1.27% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $131 (19,665 JPY) | +2.66% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $45.99 (6,883 JPY) | +2.66% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $29.57 (4,425 JPY) | +2.67% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $31.50 (4,714 JPY) | +2.94% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $8.82 (1,320 JPY) | +2.92% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $18.90 (2,829 JPY) | +2.94% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $46.49 (6,958 JPY) | +1.04% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $76.08 (11,386 JPY) | +1.05% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $157 (23,570 JPY) | +2.92% |
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 Japan than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,435 in Japan versus $1,390 in South Korea — 3.27% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Japan?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.78 in Japan (≈ 565.71 JPY), versus about $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Japan compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $972/month in Japan versus $937/month in South Korea (+3.74%). 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.