South Korea

Compared with Japan, using real observed prices.

Baseline: Japan = 1×

South Korea vs

Japan

Overall verdict

South Korea is about 1.02× Japan.

Average across 5 categories, 7 items with data

The shape of prices (vs Japan = 1×)

How to read this

The centre line is Japan. A bar running right means South Korea is pricier; running left means cheaper. The thin bar behind shows the range from the cheapest to the priciest item in that category.

← Cheaper than

Japan Japan = 1×

South Korea is pricier →

⛽ Transport 2 items

×1.41
🍔 Food & Dining 1 item

×1.24
📱 Electronics 1 item

×1.01
🎟 Leisure 1 item

×0.84
⚡ Utilities 2 items

×0.74

Thin bar shows the range (cheapest to priciest item in the category)

In South Korea, Diesel 1L costs 1.4× what it does in Japan — but Electricity 1kWh (household) costs only 0.6×. What is expensive here is energy, not the goods that carry a world price.

Real prices. Real sources. Real dates.

Diesel 1L 1 L ×1.45

South Korea ¥230 USD 1.415

Japan ¥159 USD 0.976

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Gasoline 1L 1 L ×1.37

South Korea ¥232 USD 1.427

Japan ¥169 USD 1.041

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Big Mac 1 burger ×1.24

South Korea ¥593 KRW 5,500

Japan ¥480 JPY 480

Observed 2026-01-01 · The Economist Big Mac Index
iPhone (base model, base storage) 1 unit ×1.01

South Korea ¥144,460 KRW 1,290,000

Japan ¥142,800 JPY 142,800

Observed 2026-07-27 · Apple official online store
Natural gas 1kWh (household) 1 kWh ×0.97

South Korea ¥12 USD 0.073

Japan ¥12 USD 0.075

Observed 2026-04-01 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
PC game (Cyberpunk 2077) 1 game ×0.84

South Korea ¥7,391 KRW 66,000

Japan ¥8,778 JPY 8,778

Observed 2026-07-27 · Steam Store
Electricity 1kWh (household) 1 kWh ×0.56

South Korea ¥20 USD 0.127

Japan ¥36 USD 0.227

Observed 2026-04-01 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com