---
title: "What Is a Good Salary in South Korea? — Geo-Parity"
description: "Median wage in South Korea ≈ $2,316/mo; top 10% above $5,000/mo, minimum $1,511/mo. Full local wage ladder from World Bank data."
canonical: "https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/south-korea/"
json: "https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=KR"
generator: geo-parity markdown twin
---
Local Salaries · South Korea

# What is a good salary in 🇰🇷 South Korea (Seoul)?

The median is about **$2,316/month**; top-10% earners clear **$5,000/month**.

## The local wage ladder

| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $1,206 | $14,472 | 1,715,464 KRW/mo |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD). | $1,511 | $18,132 | 2,149,308 KRW/mo |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $2,316 | $27,792 | 3,294,373 KRW/mo |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $3,472 | $41,664 | 4,938,715 KRW/mo |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $5,000 | $60,000 | 7,112,205 KRW/mo |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $9,367 | $112,404 | 13,324,005 KRW/mo |

Modelled from World Bank GNI $37,880 (2025) and Gini 32.9. Check where you stand in the [interactive benchmarker](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/?country=KR).

## Countries with similar median pay

- [🇨🇿 Czechia](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/czechia/) — median $2,315/mo
- [🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/saudi-arabia/) — median $2,258/mo
- [🇯🇵 Japan](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/japan/) — median $2,387/mo
- [🇨🇾 Cyprus](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/cyprus/) — median $2,197/mo

See also: [what everyday life costs in South Korea](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/united-states-vs-south-korea/) · [a fair US → South Korea salary](https://geo-parity.com/salary/united-states-to-south-korea/)

## Frequently asked questions

- **What is a good salary in South Korea?**: The median wage is about $2,316/month ($27,792/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $3,472/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $5,000/month.
- **What is a top 10% salary in South Korea?**: Roughly $5,000/month ($60,000/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $9,367/month.
- **What is the minimum wage in South Korea?**: About $1,511/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD).
- **How are these South Korea salary figures calculated?**: A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($37,880, 2025) and the Gini index (32.9). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.

Log-normal model from World Bank data — estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data. Agents: GET /api/wage-bands.json?country=KR.

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Source: Geo-Parity — https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/south-korea/ · JSON: https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=KR