Country Overview

Wages and Prices in Korea

Korea contributes an East Asian comparison point where the wage series, Overall index, and category differences can be examined without an implied policy or lifestyle conclusion.

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Wage history

How Wages Have Changed in Korea

Explore Korea’s PPP-adjusted annual wage history using a reported range rather than a filled-in series.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)2000–2025 · touch or hover points for the selected range

Price levels

Price Levels in Korea

Compare everyday price levels using the United States benchmark of 100.

Overall

60.10Below U.S.39.9% below U.S.

Food

136.00Above U.S.36.0% above U.S.

Clothing

103.00Above U.S.3.0% above U.S.

Housing

38.00Below U.S.62.0% below U.S.

Health

37.00Below U.S.63.0% below U.S.

Transport

73.80Below U.S.26.2% below U.S.

Recreation

71.60Below U.S.28.4% below U.S.

Restaurants

82.40Below U.S.17.6% below U.S.

How to Read This View

Use 100 as the reference

The United States is fixed at 100 for every category. A value of 60.1 means that Korea’s price level is about 39.9% below the U.S. benchmark, while a value of 136 means it is approximately 36% higher.

Compare categories, not household bills

Each row represents a separate spending category. The values show relative price levels rather than the actual amount a household spends. A higher food index does not necessarily mean that total living costs are higher by the same amount.

Check the selected year

The year buttons update all displayed categories together. Missing observations are shown as unavailable and are never replaced with values from another year.

Relative context

Korea in Context

See how Korea’s wage and selected price level compare with the OECD median and the United States.

Average Annual Wage

Korea$61,259

OECD Median$60,690

United States$86,977

Selected Price Level

Korea60.10

OECD Median67.25

United States100

Read the placement

Korea’s 2025 PPP-adjusted annual wage is close to the OECD median. Its 2024 Overall price index of 60.1 is 39.9% below the U.S. benchmark, meaning that it combines a higher wage with a lower price level in this dataset. Wage and price observations refer to separately labelled years and should not be read as a household affordability score.

Country note

Understanding Wages and Prices in Korea

Korea is shown with its current common-year wage and a separate price-year label. The chart exposes the selected historical span without interpolation, while the page avoids converting a measured change into a causal story.

Category detail for Korea is led by Food at 136.00, ahead of Clothing (103.00) and Restaurants (82.40), while the overall index remains below the United States reference. The category spread is shown as reported, without adjusting any value toward the aggregate.