Cost of Living · KR vs NL
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇳🇱 Amsterdam: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $1,837 in Netherlands — 32.16% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Netherlands
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 9.5%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 9.5%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 9.57%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +37.39%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +37.39%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +37.39%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Netherlands | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $1,287 (1,189 EUR) | +37.39% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $1,030 (951 EUR) | +37.39% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $2,354 (2,175 EUR) | +37.39% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $14.14 (13 EUR) | +28.31% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $58.92 (54 EUR) | +28.37% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $8.83 (8 EUR) | +25.43% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.92 (1 EUR) | +19.48% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +19.64% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $2.85 (3 EUR) | +19.75% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $8.39 (8 EUR) | +19.86% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $3.36 (3 EUR) | +20% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $4.03 (4 EUR) | +19.94% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $10.07 (9 EUR) | +19.88% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +20% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $4.71 (4 EUR) | +28.34% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $7.33 (7 EUR) | +9.57% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $3.93 (4 EUR) | +28.43% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.93 (2 EUR) | +19.88% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $52.20 (48 EUR) | +25.48% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $2.21 (2 EUR) | +25.57% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $3.14 (3 EUR) | +28.16% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $1.41 (1 EUR) | +28.18% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.87 (1 EUR) | +10.13% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $161 (148 EUR) | +25.47% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $56.21 (52 EUR) | +25.47% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $36.14 (33 EUR) | +25.49% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $39.28 (36 EUR) | +28.37% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $11.00 (10 EUR) | +28.35% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $23.57 (22 EUR) | +28.38% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $50.38 (47 EUR) | +9.5% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $82.44 (76 EUR) | +9.5% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $196 (181 EUR) | +28.34% |
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 Netherlands than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,837 in Netherlands versus $1,390 in South Korea — 32.16% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Netherlands?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.71 in Netherlands (≈ 4.35 EUR), versus about $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Netherlands compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,287/month in Netherlands versus $937/month in South Korea (+37.39%). 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.