South Korea
Republic of Korea
- Capital
- Seoul
- Region
- Eastern Asia
- Population, 2025
- 52 million
- Currency
- KRW
- Area
- 100,210 km²
Across South Korea's 42 priced cities, one person needs about $1,279 a month, rent included; the average net salary is $2,477.
Livability
The same seven domains as for cities, scored at country level; safety falls back to the homicide rate where Numbeo has no survey.
75out of 100
- Purchasing power25%85
- Safety20%70
- Health care15%83
- Climate10%71
- Air quality10%59
- Connectivity10%86
- Cost10%56
How each domain is scored
- Purchasing power, 25%
- What a local net salary buys against local prices, as a percentile.
- Safety, 20%
- Numbeo safety index for the city, or for its country when the city has no survey.
- Health care, 15%
- Numbeo health care index, city first, then country.
- Climate, 10%
- Numbeo climate index where surveyed, otherwise a comfort score from NASA climate normals.
- Air quality, 10%
- 30-day mean US AQI on a 0-100 scale: 100 at AQI 25 or cleaner, 0 at 150 or worse.
- Connectivity, 10%
- Percentile of median fixed broadband download speed, city first, then country.
- Cost, 10%
- Cheaper places score higher: the percentile of the cost-of-living plus rent index, inverted.
- Livability rank among countries
- #3
What it costs
Averages over the country’s cities, weighted by population. New York = 100.
Cost of living index
55.2
New York = 100, rent excluded
Rent index
13.6
New York = 100
Purchasing power
223.6
New York = 100
One person
$1,279
A month, rent included
Net salary
$2,477
Average, a month after tax
Rent, one bedroom in the centre
$585
A month
Economy
World Bank development indicators; each figure is the latest year with data.
GDP per person
$36,227
2025
Growth
+1.0%
2025
Unemployment
2.7%
2025
Inflation
2.1%
2025
Life expectancy
83.6 years
2024
Internet users
98%
2024
Taxes
Headline rates side by side from three references, with the source of each.
- Top income tax rate
- 45%
- SourcePwC
- Lowest income tax rate
- 7.8%
- SourceWikipedia
- Corporate tax
- 25%
- SourcePwC
- VAT or sales tax
- 10%
- SourcePwC
- Capital gains, individuals
- 45%
- SourcePwC
- Social security, employee
- 9.4%
- SourceTrading Economics
- Social security, employer
- 10.4%
- SourceTrading Economics
- Inheritance tax
- 50%
- SourceWikipedia
Headline statutory rates as of Sep 2026; brackets, allowances and regional taxes change what a given person pays.
Safety and internet
Numbeo’s crime survey, the World Bank homicide series and the Speedtest Global Index.
Safety
- Safety indexNumbeo, higher is safer
- 70.3
- Crime indexNumbeo, lower is better
- 29.7
- HomicidesPer 100,000 people, 2023
- 0.5
Internet
- Fixed downloadMbps, median, #22 worldwide
- 251
- Mobile downloadMbps, median, #6 worldwide
- 251
- Change in a yearFixed download speed
- +8%
Cities in South Korea
Sort by any column. Livability and cost use the same scales as every city page.
| 1Seoul | 72 | 56.2 | $873 | $3,468 | 230.9 | 10.3M | High confidence, 126 contributors |
| 2Pohang | 72 | 44.8 | — | $2,200 | 223.6 | 492K | Medium confidence, 8 contributors |
| 3Gwangju | 72 | 46.7 | $487 | $2,753 | 265.0 | 1.4M | Medium confidence, 11 contributors |
| 4Gimhae | 72 | 55.2 | — | $2,513 | 224.5 | 532K | Low confidence, 2 contributors |
| 5Ulsan | 72 | 52.2 | $361 | $2,212 | 220.8 | 1.1M | Medium confidence, 11 contributors |
| 6Cheongju | 72 | 49.8 | $269 | $2,525 | 283.8 | 852.1K | Medium confidence, 7 contributors |
| 7Busan | 71 | 55.8 | $697 | $2,735 | 203.6 | 3.3M | Medium confidence, 16 contributors |
| 8Incheon | 71 | 46.3 | $585 | $2,367 | 211.5 | 3M | High confidence, 33 contributors |
| 9Jeonju | 71 | 48.4 | $277 | $2,164 | 246.5 | 638.4K | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 10Uijeongbu | 71 | 48.1 | $259 | $2,217 | 258.3 | 479.1K | Low confidence, 3 contributors |
| 11Daejeon | 70 | 47.9 | $361 | $2,290 | 242.3 | 1.4M | High confidence, 31 contributors |
| 12Gyeongju | 70 | 48.5 | — | $1,804 | 174.7 | 245.4K | Low confidence, 4 contributors |
| 13Suwon | 70 | 46.4 | $421 | $2,477 | 253.2 | 1.2M | Medium confidence, 19 contributors |
| 14Yeosu | 70 | 50.1 | $480 | $2,106 | 195.3 | 268.8K | Low confidence, 4 contributors |
| 15Daegu | 70 | 56.0 | $407 | $2,403 | 220.0 | 2.4M | Medium confidence, 11 contributors |
| 16Chuncheon | 70 | 47.0 | $289 | $1,731 | 199.1 | 284.9K | Medium confidence, 7 contributors |
| 17Gimcheon | 69 | 51.1 | $289 | $1,845 | 199.9 | 150K | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 18Ilsan | 69 | 50.5 | — | $3,355 | 317.0 | — | Medium confidence, 5 contributors |
| 19Songdo-dong | 69 | 49.9 | — | $3,304 | 314.6 | — | Medium confidence, 7 contributors |
| 20Mokpo | 69 | — | — | — | — | 268.4K | Low confidence, 0 contributors |
| 21Changwon | 69 | 52.1 | — | $1,623 | 150.4 | 1M | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 22Donghae City | 69 | — | — | — | — | 101.1K | Low confidence |
| 23Andong | 69 | 49.9 | — | $1,804 | 171.8 | 153.3K | Low confidence, 3 contributors |
| 24Jeju | 69 | — | $449 | $1,804 | — | 488.8K | Medium confidence, 5 contributors |
| 25Gijang | 68 | — | — | — | — | 176.4K | Low confidence |
| 26Bucheon | 68 | 55.2 | $180 | $1,443 | 163.4 | 850.7K | Low confidence, 2 contributors |
| 27Anyang | 68 | 50.9 | $361 | $1,698 | 172.5 | 595.6K | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 28Gangneung | 68 | — | — | — | — | 208.2K | Low confidence |
| 29Iksan (Iri) | 68 | 50.6 | — | $1,700 | 160.4 | 307K | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 30Jinju | 68 | 55.2 | — | — | — | 307.2K | Low confidence, 2 contributors |
| 31Yangsan | 67 | 55.2 | — | $1,626 | 145.2 | 358.1K | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 32Suncheon | 67 | — | — | — | — | 276.4K | Low confidence |
| 33Gwangyang | 67 | — | — | — | — | 154.3K | Low confidence |
| 34Masan | 67 | — | — | — | — | 434.4K | Low confidence |
| 35Pyeongtaek | 67 | 50.5 | $505 | $1,793 | 162.3 | 364.7K | Medium confidence, 9 contributors |
| 36Seogwipo | 66 | — | — | $1,082 | — | 178.6K | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 37Ansan | 66 | 49.8 | $440 | $1,467 | 141.2 | 623.3K | Medium confidence, 9 contributors |
| 38Geoje | 66 | 56.7 | $649 | $1,704 | 129.8 | 232.9K | Medium confidence, 11 contributors |
| 39Gunsan | 66 | — | — | — | — | 264.7K | Low confidence |
| 40Sangju | 66 | 50.0 | — | $1,407 | 133.8 | 101.3K | Low confidence, 2 contributors |
| 41Jeongeup | 66 | — | — | — | — | 139.9K | Low confidence |
| 42Hwaseong-si | 66 | — | — | — | — | 640.9K | Low confidence |
| 43Chungju | 66 | 52.4 | — | $1,623 | 149.8 | 209.5K | Low confidence, 3 contributors |
| 44Gumi | 65 | — | — | — | — | 404.7K | Low confidence |
| 45Goyang-si | 65 | — | — | — | — | 1.1M | Low confidence |
| 46Gwangmyeong | 65 | — | — | — | — | 357.5K | Low confidence |
| 47Gunpo | 65 | — | — | — | — | 286.5K | Low confidence |
| 48Gimpo-si | 65 | — | — | — | — | 203.4K | Low confidence |
| 49Icheon | 65 | 51.5 | $721 | $2,222 | 169.9 | 196.2K | Medium confidence, 9 contributors |
| 50Siheungdong | 65 | — | — | — | — | 128.1K | Low confidence |
| 51Gyeonggi | 65 | 52.1 | $505 | $2,153 | 191.1 | — | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 52Gyeongsan-si | 65 | — | — | — | — | 267K | Low confidence |
| 53Yangju | 65 | — | — | — | — | 179.9K | Low confidence |
| 54Sejong | 65 | — | — | — | — | 394.6K | Low confidence |
| 55Cheonan | 64 | 49.2 | $721 | $1,731 | 135.5 | 658.8K | Medium confidence, 6 contributors |
| 56Guri-si | 64 | — | — | — | — | 195.2K | Low confidence |
| 57Osan | 64 | — | — | — | — | 238.8K | Low confidence |
| 58Yeoju | 63 | — | — | — | — | 111.9K | Low confidence |
| 59Hanam | 63 | — | — | — | — | 254.4K | Low confidence |
| 60Hwado | 63 | — | — | — | — | 106.4K | Low confidence |
| 61Wonju | 62 | 57.7 | — | — | — | 332.8K | Low confidence, 3 contributors |
| 62Jecheon | 62 | 55.2 | — | $1,478 | 132.0 | — | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 63Boryeong | 62 | 55.2 | — | $1,443 | 128.8 | 94.2K | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 64Gongju | 60 | 54.3 | — | $1,262 | 113.9 | 72.4K | Low confidence, 3 contributors |
| 65Yongin | 60 | 48.9 | — | — | — | — | Medium confidence, 8 contributors |
| 66Yeongcheon | 60 | 50.6 | — | — | — | — | Low confidence, 0 contributors |
| 67Sacheon | 60 | — | — | $1,482 | — | — | Low confidence, 0 contributors |
| 68Suji-gu | 60 | 48.7 | — | $1,082 | 104.6 | — | Low confidence, 1 contributors |
| 69Seongnam | 59 | 51.3 | $1,443 | — | — | 914.8K | Medium confidence, 7 contributors |