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Cost of studying in South Korea

South Korea has no official living-⁠cost figure. Check price levels, a monthly breakdown and the last five years on this pa⁠g⁠e⁠.

COST OF LIVING

What living in South Korea costs

The official figure in your currency, how prices compare, and five years of change.

Prices vs United States

lower

This country has no official living-cost figure.

One month, item by item

Shown per month so short stays are easy to compare. The official amount and the sum of the items are two different things.

CitySeoul

Official amount

Official living-cost benchmark (per month)

—

This country has no official living-⁠cost figu⁠r⁠e⁠.

Sum of items

Amount by item

Rent (median)
—
Food
—
Transport
about US$50

Seoul Climate Card, 30-⁠day pass (subway and bus, without public bik⁠e⁠s⁠)

Price for 30 days, for subway and buses within Seoul. KRW 55,000 for ages 19 to⁠ ⁠3⁠9⁠.

Source: mediahub.seoul.go.kr · KRW 62,000 a month · checked October 17, 2026

Phone and internet
—
Insurance
—

Total

—

Not enough items have a source, so no total is shown.

“—” means we do not yet have a sourced amount for that item. Tuition and return travel are not included in either amount.

Price level (US = 1.0)

South Korea vs United States: cheaper

Mid-range among the 14 countries (No. 5 from the cheapest)

ColombiaSouth KoreaUnited StatesAustralia
CheaperPricier

Tap a dot to see the country and its value.

  1. Colombia: 0.36
  2. Philippines: 0.39
  3. Mexico: 0.50
  4. Spain: 0.70
  5. South Korea: 0.73
  6. France: 0.83
  7. Germany: 0.84
  8. Ireland: 0.89
  9. Japan: 0.90
  10. United Kingdom: 0.92
  11. Canada: 0.93
  12. United States: 1.00
  13. New Zealand: 1.04
  14. Australia: 1.05

The last 5 years

The South Korean Won has lost about 12% against the US Dollar in 5 years. The same payment now costs less.

1 KRW = 0.0009 USD → 0.0008 USD

October 2021October 2026

October 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD

  1. October 2021：1 KRW ＝ 0.0009 USD
  2. November 2021：1 KRW ＝ 0.0009 USD
  3. December 2021：1 KRW ＝ 0.0009 USD
  4. January 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  5. February 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  6. March 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  7. April 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  8. May 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  9. June 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  10. July 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  11. August 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  12. September 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  13. October 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  14. November 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  15. December 2022：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  16. January 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  17. February 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  18. March 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  19. April 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  20. May 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  21. June 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  22. July 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  23. August 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  24. September 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  25. October 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  26. November 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  27. December 2023：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  28. January 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  29. February 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  30. March 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  31. April 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  32. May 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  33. June 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  34. July 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  35. August 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  36. September 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  37. October 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD
  38. November 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  39. December 2024：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  40. January 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  41. February 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  42. March 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  43. April 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  44. May 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  45. June 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  46. July 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  47. August 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  48. September 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  49. October 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  50. November 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  51. December 2025：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  52. January 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  53. February 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  54. March 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  55. April 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  56. May 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  57. June 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  58. July 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0006 USD
  59. August 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  60. September 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  61. October 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0007 USD
  62. October 2026：1 KRW ＝ 0.0008 USD

Sources and revision history

World Bank price level (US = 1.0). The same yardstick as the city diagnosis.

Exchange rates are European Central Bank reference rates (Frankfurter), taken on the first business day of each month; the last point is October 16, 2026.

Price levels are World Bank statistics (retrieved October 15, 2026). 2017 and 2021 are measured by the International Comparison Program (ICP); the years between are the World Bank’s linking series. The 2017 figures are the World Bank’s revised series, aligned with the 2021 round. data.worldbank.org

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