✦ Compare
Chicago vs
Seoul
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Chicago, IL vs Seoul, KR at a glance — Seoul, KR is 18% cheaper than Chicago, IL overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $1,900/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Seoul, KR, you'd need
$61,399 / year
Seoul, KR is 18% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Seoul, KR vs Chicago, IL)
- Housing-22%
- Food & groceries-11%
- Transport-46%
- Utilities-11%
- Healthcare-34%
- Goods & services-3%
◎ How Chicago, IL and Seoul, KR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chicago, IL | Seoul, KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 84 |
| Housing | 116 | 90 |
| Food | 95 | 85 |
| Transport | 101 | 55 |
| Utilities | 90 | 80 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 95 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,450/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,600/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $973 | $1,189 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $105 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 24% |
| Capital gains | 20% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $86,977✓ | $61,259✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,500/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $35,563✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Native | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 66 | 73 |
| Safety index | 48 | 78 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 82 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 75 |
| Public transport | 78 | 92 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -4 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 189 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 950 mm | 1,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs South Korea. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Chicago vs Seoul — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
Good to know before you move to Seoul
A hyper-modern megacity with the world's best transit and internet, K-culture everywhere and remarkable safety. The costs are Western-tier, the work culture intense and the jeonse deposits huge — but a new workation visa is opening the door to nomads.
- Currency
- South Korean won (₩ KRW)
- Languages
- Korean
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 78/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Gangnam · Itaewon · Hongdae · Seongsu
Plan your move to Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Seoul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chicago to Seoul: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chicago to Seoul, your cost of living will be roughly 18% cheaper. Seoul’s cost-of-living index is 84 versus 103 for Chicago (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chicago cheaper than Seoul?
Seoul is about 18% cheaper than Chicago overall — its cost-of-living index is 84 versus 103 for Chicago.
Which is more expensive, Chicago or Seoul?
Chicago is more expensive than Seoul. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 84 (US = 100) — about 23% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Chicago or Seoul?
Rent is cheaper in Seoul — about $900/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,900 in Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Seoul to live like in Chicago?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chicago is worth about $61,399 in Seoul. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chicago or Seoul?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in South Korea.
◷ More comparisons from Chicago
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.