How Much Money Do You Need to Live Comfortably in South Korea?

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[@raisinmancereal]

This is by far my favorite video that you've made. Just looking at the details, it shows that you may have filmed these interviews through multiple days and waited until you had a good variety of people before putting it all together. So thankful for the effort you put in making this. I just want to add too, most of these people you interviewed could be actors and actresses. Love them all and their honesty.

[@KExplorer]

Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@Cptraktorn]

bro always has the most absurdly immaculate fits

[@Afronautsays]

Fr, bro fresh as fuck consistently

[@nimfette]

@@Afronautsayshe always looks so effortlessly put together and clean

[@thecarlob_007]

Overdressed for what he is doing

[@mongmongi226]

​@@thecarlob_007he said in another interview, to make people interested getting interviewed u must dressed well. Somehow kinda make sense tho, esp in korea 😂

[@Chels4hair]

@@thecarlob_007 He is also a model so he will always try to look his best on camera. That's how you get more deals for modeling jobs!

[@ugoyodie]

I love watching kexplorer interviews because he always ask the best questions to get the answers out to everyone who wants to know more information about Korea if you plan to visit or live there in the future or right now.

[@justdoit5114]

the host's voice is deeevine ! so calming.. a voice that could lull you to sleep Or give you more customers in sales or pacify your raging supervisor 😂😂

[@KExplorer]

😅

[@HoweIIPendragon]

As someone who is planning on living in Seoul as a student, this was very informative. I currently have a career in IT and would definitely look into getting a job if I end up liking it in Seoul. Thanks for the great video!

[@containedhurricane]

Salary standards in South Korea and Japan are quite low as compared to the ones in the US, but they're much safer

[@user-hs1dd4tc7t]

who cares about salary if the living costs balance it out. only matters for those trying to save and run away to other countries.

[@containedhurricane]

@@user-hs1dd4tc7t If we work as a dishwasher at an East Asian restaurant in Massachusetts, you will save around $2,000 net per month because food and accommodation are provided by the employer. We will never be able to save that amount of money if we do it in South Korea or Japan

[@gonnabehappy]

​@@containedhurricaneactually you can coz nobody wants to that in Korea

[@briankim2903]

@@containedhurricane um you'll also have to pay much more to live because rent is so much, transportation because you need a car, and everything else... It's pretty much pointless. At least in Korea you can use public transport very easily, rent is cheaper for a single person in a one room apartment. In the states you can't even afford an any place on your own. Who wants to work as a dish washer and share a 2 room apartment with 4 people?

[@containedhurricane]

@@briankim2903 Many poor Asians share one bedroom with several people because it's provided freely as long as they work at the restaurants. Transportation to the restaurants are also provided by the employers, so the workers can save more than $2,000 per month

[@Meow3431]

Switzerland average yearly full-time salary: 83,700 CHF (ca. 92,667 USD) according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office in 2023 Disclaimer: this is the statistical average, there are big differences depending on industry, gender, age, and city etc. !! Also this may seem very high for some viewers, so keep in mind that the cost of living is accordingly high 😂

[@jillthompson6110]

According to the IMF, in terms of Purchase Power Parity GDP per person, South Korea (59,330) is roughly equal to France (60,339) Canada (60,495), the UK (58,880), but ahead of Japan (54,184).

[@Shadowboost]

Average is meaningless. What is the median

[@lifeextension9217]

According to the OECD on May 23, the average wage for South Korean workers stood at US$48,922 as of 2022, ranking 19th among the 38 OECD member countries. Compared to the average wage across all member countries at US$53,416, this represents approximately 91.6 percent.

[@hungo7720]

You have done an immaculate job highlighting the range of salaries in South Korea. 9 to 6 jobs have truly deprived lots of Koreans' mental health and overall life satisfaction.

[@cee_el]

It sounds low because the USD is strong right now. Ya’ll have to remember that the cost of living is MUCH lower in Seoul that NY/LA. The salary isn’t high by any means, but it’s not that bad

[@Shadowboost]

I was earning 130k in Utah. Cost of living there is far lower than Seoul

[@ADesertVoice]

@@Shadowboost I was making close to 200k in Nothern Cali. Cost of living in California is much higher than Seoul. Don't flaunt your big $$$ because you live in a country that has been prosperous for a long time and you have remote opportunities. I don't understand you "point" in your statement. The United States is MUCH LARGER with MUCH MORE OPPORTUNITIES still than South Korea. AND unfortunately, having more $$$ and earning more does not equate to how happy you are or how you feel about where you live. With all the SH*T that is going on in AMerica right now, I would debate whether South Korea really is one of the unhappiest places to live and whether AMERICA should be on the top of that list.

[@user-bv5hl3rn9b]

@@Shadowboost America is best

[@Shadowboost]

@@ADesertVoice 200k in northern California and housing is 1.5 million plus. I live there right now. 130k in UT and houses are less than 400k

[@tinodinh3181]

That seems so low, compared to cost of living. You have to save up to put 50% downmpayment ($250K) to get an apartment in Seoul, plus other costs like groceries. Plus, everyone is aiming for the same limited number of slots in specific schools and specific chaebol companies. Entrepreneurship seems limited to mom-and-pop or few start-ups, not enough medium sized firms. Can understand why many Koreans go to US to increase salary or to SE Asia, with lower cost (but comparable standard) of living.

[@luc_theriault]

thats there problem they all wanna work in the same district in Seoul. If some of them would have gone work in cities close to seoul or even other big cities it wouldnt be such a big problem. Cities like Suwon cost way less than Seoul yet its a 1 hour drive. Thats one of the major problem south korea did. It was having one megalopolis that run almost everything in the country

[@gametri-eq6lj]

⁠@@luc_theriault​​⁠the problem is that if you live anywhere but Seoul you’ll lack basic necessities schools hospitals shut down all over Korea besides Seoul because everything is centered around Seoul due to population decline

[@user-hs1dd4tc7t]

guess these guys never heard of the new country republic of seoul

[@unka2007]

People dont go to southeast asia

[@prohightension2000]

​@@gametri-eq6ljthe cities near seoul are also pretty much like seoul and its hard to live in those cities too, but yeah outside of big cities like Busan, Daegu, Jeonju etc its gonna be tough

[@golferdan906]

i work in IT as a software engineer at a large/huge Korean company...in general it pays well overall but not as well as the top tech companies in the US although there are always exceptions.

[@jbsang6628]

미국은 자원이 있어요. 배가 고프면 석유를 팔면 됩니다. 땅이 넓어서 인근 바다가 커서 농수산물이 엄청 저렴합니다. 한국은 사소한것까지 다 외국에서 수입해 옵니다. 미국은 기축통화국 입니다. 돈이 모자라면 돈을 찍어내면 됩니다. 미국은 축복 받은 나라입니다. 1차 세계대전 2차 세계대전으로 외국에서 엄청난 인재들이 미국으로 다 건너갔어며 전세계 금융과 돈을 다 가져갔습니다.

[@prohightension2000]

Bro comparing american companies to any other countries wage is unfair man. I live in Germany and the ppl who can make more tend to go to America to earn more. America is the richest country in the world and they're the country that mostly decides how the world economy will go.

[@golferdan906]

while true, I was working in the USA and was recruited by a company in Korean to move to Korea. in my case, I would not have left the USA to come here unless it was for a better opportunity with higher pay, etc. i'm not necessarily saying that Korean company need to pay the same as US companies but if they want to attract global talent (which many want to do), they will need to pay as much if not more than US companies in order to compete.

[@isisathena5237]

According to a quick google search median income is 3.5 million won a month.

[@user-yy4kc6qg4o]

Accurate. Young people with 1 to 3 years of experience earn approximately 2.2 to 3 million won, and those in their 30s (after moving up in rank) earn anywhere from 3 to 5 million won. Large companies are higher. This is the average salary excluding taxes. I am an ordinary Korean

[@user-fz4vf3hn2t]

그건 세전이라 세금때면 300만원도 못받음

[@k_s_b_s]

If salaries are between 30k-40k for young people and between 40k-70k for older people, how come i see a lot of of young people wearing luxury bags and other items that can cost easily 5k-20k each? Even at 70k per year i wouldn´t consider buying myself a luxury bag if that was my case.

[@StoicTaste]

koreans are crazy about expensive fashion items, they save up a lot to buy luxury items and cut spending for food etc.

[@jillthompson6110]

Lower income tax rates compared to most Western countries. Plus most young people in Korea these days are not getting married and will have no children. Plus many young Koreans still live with their parents because they've given up on buying new homes due to the high cost of homes in Seoul (the rest of the country is dirt cheap in comparison). So they have less expenses to worry about. These factors all add up to young people having more disposable income for trips abroad (50% of Koreans have traveled abroad to Japan or SEA, in only one year), as well as disposable income for luxury goods and cars. If they can't buy a home, they'll just spend the money on trips, luxury purses, cosmetic procedures, and cars.

[@kyungshim6483]

I think what catches your attention is not as widespread as you are made to believe from what you are seeing. Same with plastic surgery. It's only your perception.

[@atkim122]

1. If they're unmarried, Koreans are most likely living with their parents so even a $20K-$30K salary would give them some disposable income 2. The unhealthier reason is that Koreans are very sensitive to how they're perceived by others in public, so even a coffee shop barista girl feels pressure to wear brands because so many people her age is doing the same. So luxury stores even let these people buy handbags etc. on monthly installment plans, almost as if they bought a car Conclusion: you can't assume a typical Korean's social class by what they wear

[@gracemin8753]

consumer debt is quite high in SK, people like looking so good and status is another thing

[@jillthompson6110]

Ten years ago, one US dollar was worth W1000, today now one US dollar is worth W1400. - the Korean currency has devalued by 40% compared to ten years ago.

[@user-vb6ko5tw2q]

￦1,000

[@inholee1732]

$10 = W14,000

[@Yelegdir]

What are you smoking 🚬

[@Sotanath86q]

.... or maybe the USD just recovered because it was slumping hard 10-12 years ago? Stop misinforming people

[@gametri-eq6lj]

@@Yelegdirwdym

[@airpig9182]

날씨가 어땠길래 자켓부터 브라탑까지 있지.

[@csome2]

i'm a retire army solider do you think i can live off my retire pay there, i'm also a child psychologist.

[@youngkim8493]

i was just in South Korea for two weeks... the young people in the country are in a sad state. Overworked and underpaid and trying to keep up with the Joneses in Seoul, I talked to some people who literally spend more than 100% of their earnings just on rent, food and luxury items.

[@nimfette]

as an office job worker, office can be tiring job, because it’s repetitive, boring etc. but still, of all my jobs, this is the best job so far, in terms of work conditions and earnings.

[@cspel002]

With inflation, I hope salaries can increase for a more comfortable living.

[@Fasty2107]

Wages that are mentioned are pre tax or post tax?

[@huppym]

I think its pre tax

[@domo3858]

Pre tax. And South Korea has high taxation rates compared to countries like Singapore which most people fail to consider when first thinking about their salaries.

[@sparx1599]

"What do you do for a living?" "I work for a company."😃👍

[@sapphirepixy18]

It might be difficult to pinpoint the people but I’d like to learn what a six-figure (USD) lifestyle is like in Seoul.

[@gonnabehappy]

Not too much. in Seoul, to ball you need to earn 500k usd per year.

[@RjlpqeQs]

That number can provide quite a comfortable lifestyle. But not a luxurious lifestyle, though. It really depends on where you live, too. If you go suburban area, 6 figure income can give you a pretty comfortable lifestyle with quite a nice house and everything. Just like the USA. It all depends on which city and which town you live in.

[@nexuslux]

You used a nice camera, why not try play around with color grading / luts

[@amnostudios]

this was in log, it is color graded

[@simonhrabec9973]

What do you do? I work for a company.

[@dayflydayfly1907]

七月에 denimjacket?...lol

[@Johanneslol11]

This money, how much tax do they pay on this ? How is it with contribution to pension? Or are these numbers already with that removed ?

[@jillthompson6110]

According to the OECD, averages of 6.1% are deducted for income taxes, and 8.4% for Social program deductions, accumulating to 14.5% total deductions. The deductions are quite a bit lower than the OECD average. These are the numbers for the highest paying countries in terms of take-home pay after deductions in terms of Purchase Power Parity. 10. United States -- $39,211 after paying 26% in taxes 9. Norway -- $40,834 after paying 27.6% in taxes 8. Japan -- $41,139 after paying 22.3% in taxes 7. United Kingdom -- $41,608 after paying 23.4% in taxes 6. Australia -- $41,655 after paying 24.4% in taxes 5. Netherlands -- $43,835 after paying 30.4% in taxes 4. South Korea -- $44,835 after paying 14.5% in taxes 3. Iceland -- $45,390 after paying 28.7% in taxes 2. Luxembourg -- $46,593 after paying 29.1% in taxes 1. Switzerland -- $58,864 after paying 16.9% in taxes

[@Johanneslol11]

@@jillthompson6110 Thank you, that is not that bad. I pay a lot more in the Netherlands

[@ornella838]

You forgot Canada - also very high

[@mdraselhossain1627]

Love from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

[@MelindaSoSassy]

His fur-baby is adorable. Question, can Koreans apply for government assistance if they do not make enough money for basic needs? Hopefully they do. I think these days most people are struggling financially.

[@jayrollo1352]

Lmao asking this question to the most materialistic culture in the world. This is gona be great 😂

[@yourworstnightmare5516]

As a kid I wanted to move to South Korea to live with my grandparents but now I gave up on that thought entirely.

[@prohightension2000]

Idk why the americans keep comparing wages between America and ANY asian countries. Because this is pretty dumb tbh. America is the richest country in the world and the standards are just different. Look at any european countries and you won't find the same wage as in America. Guys the world doesn't resolve around America. Stop comparing it to America it won't fulfill ya 😂

[@yoon8505]

Making 40k in korea its same as making 80k in canada cuz of tax in canada half of earn money goes to tax

[@calcarr3211]

Just wanted to say i love your style broski!🙌🏼

[@I.love.you_koreaa]

Love from Bangladesh 🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩

[@AltioraQuaeriteCH]

Seoul is similar to Jakarta, Indonesia. The only city that's developed in the whole country. Which is really bad.

[@DrHouse23200]

Google Busan or Incheon. Seoul is not the only develped city

[@jbsang6628]

인도네시아? 후진국 아닌가? 도마뱀과 같이 사는 나라 라고 알고 있습니다, 인도네시아 유명한 기업이 있나요?

[@AltioraQuaeriteCH]

@@jbsang6628 Don't assume this the wrong way, I meant, there is an uneven development in the country, where it is more focused on one city than the rest. This causes everybody's flocking to that city for a better life. I'm not sure what you mean by "lizards" (in translation), there are a lot of Koreans too living in Jakarta. 😁

[@tayonfriends3534]

​@@jbsang6628Ngajak Gelut nih orang

[@hmmmm8873]

Nice Cornrows who made it?

[@rachzainhass]

I think in an interview he said for modeling jobs he does it himself

[@Zzzzzz-qm6cz]

어렸을 때 아주 흥미로운 역사책을 읽었던 적이 있다. 세계의 중심이 서쪽으로 이동하고 있고 동서문명이 하나가 될 것이라는 내용이었다. 중동 > 유럽 > 미국 당시 저자는 미래를 다음과 같이 예측했다. 다음은 아시아, 그다음은 중동이 될 것이고 이렇게 중심이 한바퀴 돌아 하나의 문명이 될 것이라고. 그는 그 중심이 될 국가를 중국과 사우디아라비아를 꼽았는데, 이 국가들의 폐쇄성 때문에 서구화 된 주변국들이 많은 반사이익을 얻을 것이라고 까지 말했다. 본인은 자녀들에게 중국어와 아랍어를 가르치고 있다고도 말했다. 어렸을 때 이 책을 읽고 바보같은 판타지 소설이라고 치부했었다. 아쉽게도 저자는 BTS를 보지 못하고 세상을 떠났다.

[@HuyHoang-tp6oe]

their incomes are low, but their lifestyle is crazy expensive.

[@88Kidlat]

❤❤❤

[@monokina4ever]

The average salary is so low. How much does a nurse make in South Korea?

[@inholee1732]

Free health care at least. I think we American’s are lucky to be the only developed nation that has to pay for healthcare. Gotta love capitalism.

[@Cptraktorn]

keep in mind it's quite a bit cheaper to live there in general.

[@Janet-iw2cz]

It's not cheap to live in Korea. Do not believe the lies KZbinrs and influencers speard. If you want to live in a box, mold, and bug infested place, sure, go for it and hope you don't end up in the emergency room drowning with medical expenses. Plus, no one talks about health problems caused by air pollution and poor housing conditions. You better have cash to pay for the medical visit and medication.

[@ATLG1RL727]

@@Janet-iw2czAll that!

[@jiminswriter4209]

⁠@@Janet-iw2czMost Koreans live in clean, decent homes. It is only the very poor that have poor housing conditions. Medical care is fairly cheap for the most part. You need to educate yourself before commenting on Korea. It is not the U.S., where medical expenses are very high.

[@user-gh6rj2ev3z]

Has anyone been noticing how similar to AI these videos look?

[@hellokittyninja5968]

It’s amazing rent is so cheap. It’s crazy expensive in Hong Kong, actually twice that of NYC. I wonder if salary is higher in HK? But Korea is inexpensive compared to other parts of Asia for a developed country even with low salaries.

[@madrid1010]

If you are born with good looks, you are set for life in SK

[@hsunflower6401]

No you’re not

[@markmuller7962]

Amazing style, you've a great fashion sense

[@ehrensohn2147]

Question to the interviewer How is it to get interviewed by an interviewer to an interviewer by interview question about living in korea Interview

[@OGtruthserum]

I had no idea as an American, I'm wealthier than the average Korean by a significant margin.

[@user-kc8xl4ty9h]

오 나 120k 버는데 한국으로 이사가야 하나 ㅋㅋㅋ 캘리라 여기선 120k 가지고는 렌트비 내면 남는거 없음 ㅠㅠ

[@user-xg2rg8nb8v]

패션들이 좋다

[@ATLG1RL727]

I’d never survive! 😂

[@byungsong2819]

Only $2900불이라고?? 어우 미국보다 먹고살기힘드네 ㅎ ㄷ ㄷ 하긴 여기 미국도 각 지역마다 물가니 렌트니 천차만별이니….. 제가 사는 뉴져지쪽은 알아서 생각해보세요 ㅎㅎ 🤣

[@mclovin6537]

Who is here from the thumbnail 😂

[@thomaspark1]

lol 9-6

[@user-lt2ov5bf1f]

중구 역주행사고 이 흑인이 당했어야 했는데.. 정말 한국사회에 일원으로 성실히 살아가는 9명 대신해

[@user-lt2ov5bf1f]

다른 영상에서 인종주의적인 시각에서 한국인 일반화하고 비하하게 유도하는 이 파렴치한 인간이 말이죠

[@user-lt2ov5bf1f]

중구 사고 사망자분들 명복을 빕니다

[@RJMAN625]

먼 개소리야, 이건?

[@XC-Z-cv8qw]

Super strange about the gender pay gap where no one is acknowledging it despite the OECD saying South Korea has the worst gender pay gap of the 38 OECD nations.

[@gonnabehappy]

That gap is mostly due to the difference in hours not per hour wage.

[@XC-Z-cv8qw]

@@gonnabehappy Lol that's just an excuse as good as any

[@gonnabehappy]

@@XC-Z-cv8qw no, it is the fact.

[@XC-Z-cv8qw]

@@gonnabehappy Anything can be treated as fact it seems

[@thunder5311]

It is true that women work less than men.

[@snuppl512]

anyone got the blue shirt dudes IG@?

[@jamjamjam41689]

Damn i make 8k a week