Is it Expensive Living in Korea?

[@jargonstarcraft9157]

I'd be more interested in learning how much the average person makes in Korea. Like, what are the average annual salaries of a barista, a technician, an engineer, or a just your average businessman? I've found that most countries have similar living expenses (food, rent, utilities), but what really varies from country to country is taxes and wages. I know a google search would give me a rough idea, but it's nice hearing from people who actually live there :)

[@Jmoul14]

I once was a korean but then i could not afford it anymore so now i live in the pacific ocean on the back of a lapras

[@hylianrezzi]

Both Seoul and Toronto's transportation prices sound cheaper than here in England... X_X

[@reehji]

Thomas Lee it costs me about $80 to go 3 hours round-trip on train here, southern CA...but then, most people here owns a car so....

[@reehji]

reehji oh, and roughly $1.75 for a single bus ride T_T luckily students get them for free in Santa Barbara,, SoCal

[@hylianrezzi]

omg only $1.75 for a single?! Over here it's £1.90....

[@Bakaramas]

HylianRezzi £1.90 that's so cheap, in Cambridge its £3.00

[@hylianrezzi]

Oh I know! The times I go up there I just walk to the Grand Arcade for shopping. I really feel for you :/

[@MsJabbaTheHutt]

I'm from Toronto (Etobicoke)!! I'm actually moving to Korea in February so your videos have been super helpful. Thanks guys :)

[@mariadr7321]

In Greece bus and metro tickets (one for all public transportation) are 1.20 or 1.60 euro and it lasts for about an 1hour and 40 min and you can go as far as you want and use as many buses or the metro in that time limit. We dont charge distance's. Then you got the monthly cards for all public transportation, if you are a university student it is 15 euro a month if you are not it is 30 euro a month, and you have limitless access to everything for a month.

[@ChiiXxTohru]

Could you do a vlog about vegetarianism/veganism in Korea =) like vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Korea. Vegetarian/vegan snacks/sweets/lollies

[@whydiddiscodie94]

in kansas, rent for a nice 2 bedroom house is anywhere from around 600$ to 800$. my family spends about 200$ a month for food. a full tank of gas is anywhere from 20 to 70$.

[@Zinngoz]

+Kelsey Atwill in Bay Area, a 2 bedroom house is about $1k00~1k4 T_T

[@AlecBaldwin5816]

It cost me 600 dollars of alcohol each month, and I only eat at the restaurant. I have to work like a fucking pig for it through.

[@faithbockarie3714]

Tbh that is very cheap compared to Australia

[@shysnow8]

I live in Kansas too

[@hamham7318]

Lol try living in newyork

[@skinnylegendariee1804]

This is one of the reasons I'm going to Korea

[@JF098]

But like.. the job market..

[@JF098]

+MK S Working from home does not mean you will always have a job or clients to work on. You have to be pretty well known to do that or join a good company that allows it (which is hard to get into in the first place). The job market is still shit.

[@boyeonrhee336]

Seriously come to korea , best country in the world istg

[@ottomattiks3644]

how did it work out

[@NekoBoyOfficial]

The bus system in Seattle is pretty good from my experience. Sadly the system north of the city is much more limited (for example, doesn't run on Sunday, despite many that do rely on it).

[@CharlyeHebert]

I'm SO glad I found this channel. I'm moving to Korea for 6 months for work and you guys are answering almost all of my questions 😊😊😊😊

[@MizfitBitch]

The fact that produce is expensive is sad. I'm vegetarian transitioning to plant-based (vegan as far as diet). I'd hate to have to break bank over food.

[@saltyman7888]

Angelica Concepcion Korean produce is a lot cheaper, and fish and seafood is a lot healthier than red meat.

[@MizfitBitch]

Hollus Elsfik really? And I don't eat any meat now. Not even fish or seafood.

[@haso3616]

+Angelica Concepcion You will not survive as a vegetarian in Korea.

[@andrewjackson7476]

+Angelica Concepcion You can live in a rural area and grow your own produce. Everybody in Korea is like a wanna be so they all dream to live in the hippest part of the city. As result it's very cheap to live in the country side.

[@elnino9193]

+Angelica Concepcion As Korean myself I'm saying, it's gonna be hard to survive :( I love fruits and vegetables but they're expensive so I don't eat really often. My friend once tried to be vegetarian for a while but she gave up because there's almost nothing you can eat without meat in it if you're buying meal outside.

[@EMSpdx]

Late to this party. A) I live i Portland, Oregon metro area, which is located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Prices will reflect where I live: 1) I am renting a 1 bed/1 bath apartment somewhat older with an in unit washer/dryer/dishwasher/stove/microwave oven for 825/month in Beaverton, Oregon. There is a pool and hot tub on premises, a small exercise room, it's right across the street from two bus lines and across the street from a good clean super market. A large park is nearby, so is a library, a gym, a dry cleaners, a brewpub, two bakeries and a couple of cafes.I used a guarantor service instead of putting down a deposit on my apartment. 2) Eating Out: Mid priced, 'fast casual meals are about $7-10 during lunch and about $15 for dinner, assuming you don't drink any wine or beer. With that, it's significantly more . A lot of people do Happy Hour where you can get wine, beer or a cocktail and a starter or snack for about $7-10 dollars. Sit down dinners can be mid priced to very expensive. On the cheap end, we have food trucks, where for $3-$10 you can get some amazing food- sandwiches of every sort, Thai and Viet food, Mexican and Central American food, juices and smoothies, waffles, pizza, french fries, even ice cream! Example: I went out today with a colleague for lunch. I had a Cobb Salad with crab bisque soup for lunch, with a roll and butter. I had an iced coffee after. This was all about $11. 3) Groceries, as everywhere else, depends on socio-economic status and access. With that being said, groceries are cheap in the United States, and cheaper still in the West Coast, where veggies, fruit and meat are CHEAP AS HELL, even for organic when compared ANYWHERE ELSE. Bread is cheap, rice is cheap, potatoes are cheap, butter is cheap, milk is cheap, cheese is cheap (even fancy cheese). As I said, fruit and veggies are EXTREMELY CHEAP. And given the inputs to raise animals, beef, pork, chicken and farmed fish is VERY CHEAP. In fact, if you are part of the working to upper class in America, good solid food is almost TOO CHEAP in some ways. Example: I bought 4 avocados for $5, 1 lb of of cut pine apple and melon for $3/package, mixed spring salad green- 1 lb- for $3.75 and a block of tofu for $1.25.I bought beef for friends for a BBQ and it was 3 lbs for $12. 4) Clothing- both cheap and expensive, with poor to excellent quality- and it does not really matter the price point! There is no sales tax in Oregon, so you can spend a bit more than in other places in the West Coast.

[@name-bearbeiten]

Edith Spencer thanks for sharing, i've always looked for those real-life experiences! greetings from northern germany!

[@EMSpdx]

Name Bearbeiten *waves* Come visit, if you can! Condor flys direct to Portland two days a week. :-)

[@IAdoreU17Seventeen]

Edith Spencer I was born in portland!! but grew up in salem :)

[@EMSpdx]

JIMIN Pls Stop I like Salem a lot. It's a small city, but it's very pretty, very affordable and the river runs in the middle of town! :-)

[@IAdoreU17Seventeen]

Edith Spencer it's pretty nice here~^^

[@wilz9388]

wow, made me realise how expensive sydney is

[@suh3271]

I'm Korean, I live in Gangnam, and the traffic's not really that bad when you go out on Sundays in the morning or so.. Or maybe I'm just really used to it now?? lol :D (I lived here for eight years)

[@paulham9018]

Philadelphia's subway system is similar. Just 2 lines cutting thru the center of the city, one north-south and one east-west. The east-west line does turn into an above ground train and connect to Northeast Philly. And there are railway and highspeed rail that connect to all the surrounding suburbs.

[@Rayden440]

I live in Toronto, and the subway here is god-aweful! THREE LINES! What a fucking joke when compared to other cities like New York, Paris, London and Seoul. The stations looks like they've received minimum maintenance since their creation 60 years ago. The carts are usually very dirty with a pungent smell to go with it.

[@bonamanaification]

I'm from Glasgow in Scotland. We have one line, that literally goes round in a circle 😂

[@CM_CM_]

Rayden440 But in london day passes are: for a child 12 and up - $6.35 (Canadian Dollar) (free if >11) for an adult 16 and up - $15.69 compared to your $11.50 for a day pass D: The lines in central london are normally good, but thats because extra effort is put in for the tourists, once you leave everything is pretty eh >.

[@_blondesaber]

Fruits are SO CHEAP in tropical countries. They sell high quality fruits everywhere and anytime. Even on the side of the road :D

[@jennyluna6450]

That's awesome !:D hah

[@czarofhalloween]

I’ve noticed this in Florida too fruits are cheaper and better quality compared to most other places

[@ArielVolovik]

Here in montreal it isn't expensive most people get Opus cards and they pay like 50$ a month for UNLIMITED usage - you can sit there all day if you want. but if you do just buy 1 pass it means that you can go in swich stops how much you want (the lines) and they won't charge anything - the moment you get out though it costs to come back in. Very cheap but only 3 lines and 1 line with like 3 stops others have like 20-30!

[@stream4win560]

+Ariel Volovik It's only $50 if you're a student, otherwise it's $82, and one pass is $3.25.

[@shizuma2007]

When I am in Daegu, I found that the two different "unique" taxis available are the Silver cabs and the Black cabs. The silver cabs have dents and dings, they drive fast and blow through stop lights, (Car Sick!) The black cabs are like being driven in a limo, the drivers usually have white gloves, help you load/unload your bags, clean smelling cars, etc etc. but they cost a little more, but totally worth driving in.

[@MKMonsterr]

One thing I like about the NYC subway is that you can swipe once and get on a bunch of different trains without paying again. One of my most recent experience being that I got from Penn Station to the Met in around 30 minutes with two (or three) different trains and I swiped once. And buses by me are $1.25 for a student and a transfer is $0.25.

[@nalaumma]

When I visited korea, I got tons of nice clothes from $1~ $15 the most. HEEHEHHEHE

[@marias1591]

omg. would you care to tell me where you did your shopping, i'm planning to visit there next month :D

[@nalaumma]

Maria S Dong De Moon has a lot of shopping centers and outdoor sellers on the streets. I usually shop at the Hyundai Mall, Lotte Mall :) and you'll find a lot of random good finds in the middle of the streets :) try Chong Dam Dong, they have good high end small shops. Good luck, and Im jealous of you!!! Oh, if your not korean, good luck dealing with "no personal space" Im korean and I get so upset when people shove and push you around cause its so crowded..

[@nameisamine]

SERIOUSLY. Seoul should be one of the new fashion capitals of the world. I got so much stuff and I would look at the prices and say "HOW MUCH"? IT WAS SO CHEAP. I'm from London where a nice shirt is like $100, Korea its like $40 and its designer quality, Im flying there once a year now to buy clothes lol!

[@allensun2657]

Hey Simon and Martina! I have question! Is Korea safe? I heard that korea is really really safe, safer than most countries! Can you do a TL;DR video on it? thanks!

[@Xyronium]

What about housing and real estate prices? How much does apartments cost in Seoul? The price per square foot must be super high since korea is such an owercrowded place.

[@morganthompson833]

In Adelaide, Australia an adult metro ticket costs around $4.90 for 2 1/2 hours of travel. You can buy a day pass for around $9.00 that lasts an entire day. You can also get a Multi trip ticket that has around 10 single trips for about $17-25.Taxi's are pretty expensive though. It's about $80-90 for a 35-40 minute ride, depending on the time of day. Although, as you guys found out recently, everything is expensive in Australia.

[@brainsfallinout26]

In New York City, it costs $2.50 to get on the subway or to take a bus, but there is no additional cost for distance: you can go all the way from Queens/Brooklyn to Manhattan. I think the T (the bizarre hybrid trolley/train public transportation system) in Boston is $2, and you aren't charged for distance either, just an entry fee to get on the trolley/train.

[@CassieFrancis-TheAlmostAdult]

In Britain it costs almost £7 to go 30 miles (that is a single)

[@joessmax]

What about supermarkets? Are cheaper or more expensive than grocery or shops?

[@mintedog]

Bangkok: The MOST that you will EVER have to pay for the metro (Which is called BTS) here, is only about 60 Baht (2$-ish), but that's literally from one station at an end of the city to the other station at the other end of the city; which is probably about 35 KM. Taxi's start out at 35 Baht (1 $) and go up at 6 Baht increments every kilometer; I travel 30 KM to my school by taxi sometimes, and the grand total is about 300-350 Baht (8-9$). Yeah, it's pretty cheap in Bangkok in terms of transportation.

[@lone6718]

Public transit is okay here, but I live in a medium sized college town. We have a small bus line for most of the residential areas, and then there are some taxis (they charge by distance I think). When I lived in Ecuador the public transit was super cheap and really awesome. But if you wanted to take a taxi as a foreigner you needed to know the cost it usually was from point a->b or you would get way over charged.

[@Kevchung11]

Hey Simon and Martina, I lived in Toronto before as well, and honestly,after comparing the costs of life in Seoul with those in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, South Korea(even Seoul) is still cheaper than North America. Of course, I would say that their subway system is just so much cheaper at 900won per trip compared to many other cities, not to mention that it covers a lot of areas!

[@Cesia1008]

Am I the only one who got distracted with the kitty?... 2:27

[@EllaMuersofNerdfighteria]

Not gonna lie I spent the entire video Meemers spotting xD

[@madelaineg5032]

come in london everithing is so f expensive here, it u go out u ned at least 30£ to buy a decent meal at a decent restaurant, transport is veryyyy expensive like 5£ one way to go in the city, ...omg, i wish to live in this countryes where i can buy everithing so cheap.... ;(

[@jeremyk5310]

Gherca Marina I think living in London forced me to learn to cook better. London surprisingly has a lot of good produce even in their supermarkets (if you live in zone 2 or further obviously). As for transit, TFL is still waaay better than the sorry excuse for transit in Toronto. My god. I'm in Mississauga right now (around zone 3 distance for equivalence) and it costs me $9 to go into Toronto (one way), which is around 7 quid?

[@madelaineg5032]

Yes the TFL is better than the other transits that's the reason why is so expensive, they are always upgrading something, and the food is realy good, always fresh ( in the suppermarkets i mean ) but stil compared to the other contryes it is expensive, London is not cheap, the other cityes are normal lol.

[@riyku]

Thanks for the help! I'm moving there to teach English ASAP So I was really wondering costs!

[@phone7x7]

The ticket one way reference is awesome. I totally did not know it when I first watched this video.

[@PandaMan1992]

In the bay area the BART cost from $1.75 up to $5 or $6 depending on how far you travel and I've lived in metro seoul out in seongdong-gu so the subway and buses are SOOO much cheaper than in the US, however i noticed that transfers are much less convenient in Seoul than in the bay at least, since with BART theres one platform that all trains to that station service. with KoRail ITX, and Seoul Metro you have to walk a good distance to get to different line platforms since the stations are huge!

[@lisanne3275]

Korean food looks so delicious 😍👏🏻

[@Latitude631]

Especially Kimchi XD

[@alonzo9772]

Koreans make the best boneless fried chicken. I used to be an exchange student there, and I had a friend who would have fried chicken delivered to our dorm room once-a-week.

[@Latitude631]

alonzo9772 wow! I was thinking about going to Korea for college.

[@royceleo]

no

[@evilending2627]

The most depressing part of this video is i thought the American prices were cheap... England is so expensive

[@MeAlejandroIgnacio]

The Mango story ! SO FUN HAHAHAHAHA

[@MissSilk]

Oh....and on top of that since some transit places have parking garages and parking lots, it's $1 per day and $50+ for a monthly pass. So....add the regular transit for just people and people who need to park because there is no bus nearby to get them to where they need to go TT

[@Agscgoh]

Taxis in Singapore is generally cheap depending of what type you take it will charge you $3.20 - $3.40 when you get on it and it will be a increase of $0.22 per 100m or 45secs of waiting at peak period it will charge you an extra 25% off your total bill and it's more expensive in city areas and airport.

[@infires_man_jayliu2851]

I reaaaaaaalllly wanna move to South Korea when I get older lol

[@Baxinthebuilding]

Sameeeeeee, lets go together hahaha

[@stephanie064wooz7]

meeeeeeeee tooo

[@kingnoctis8092]

Infires_man_ Jayliu can you live in korea forever even if you are a foreigner ?

[@Antaury97]

Same here, I want to finish college then go

[@ellavarga7610]

King Noctis no. You have to apply for a residency visa. You need to be fluent in Korean to get the visa. Or marry a native Korean

[@jinkies2609]

As of today, 1000 won is .84 American dollars.

[@idajonsson330]

Sure max

[@jinkies2609]

+Ida Jonsson no problem?

[@AA-ij5hp]

Im wondering how much does a person get paid in Korea on average and if you have ever experienced any racism or other typea of stereotyping oh oh and umm would people with darker skin(eg. Brown, Im brown) get any racism, stereotyping, or would they ever get asked out on dates or make friends easily. THANKS i love you channel and your cat is FREAKING ADORABLE.

[@metasaman]

I want to know that, too O_O

[@annieasmr2933]

Raida A Koreans don't understand racism because they don't get racist comments like we do in America. Their culture is different which they stay true to. They respect elders which Americans mostly don't do. With that being said it's a different world. They are very nice, low crime. They don't understand apology though. From learning Korean they don't understand why American say sorry so much.

[@654321poiuytrewq0987]

boston is 2:50 (I beleive its 2 dollars with a free plastic card) and u can ride the subway as much as you want and then you exist and have to pay again. then where i live (a small city in massachussets) the bus is one dollar one way

[@Minyu07]

oh i love korean subway clothes! they're soo cheap but fashionable. you can definitely find good quality clothes for cheap price if you know what part of Seoul to go to. I bought 5 summer dresses for $10 two years ago and I still wear them every summer. Seriously, Korean fashion tastes are really good and the prices are amazing.

[@MayerlinCastro]

Here, where I live you can even take free mangoes on streets, there are lots of trees everywhere, what irony!

[@xaisthoj]

I need to get in on the mango import business in Korea.

[@rurihoshino313]

So watermelon is crazy expensive in Korea just like it is in Japan. Well at least meat is cheap there.

[@ThatAsianOverThere]

In Austin, it takes about 17 bucks just for 4 miles, with no traffic. Buses are cheap too, but kind of dirty (But as a University student, it's free for me, so I still use it happily). My sister visited SK last year and said the transportation there was awesome, clean, cheap and all that good stuff. I think I might visit SK just to see it and be in awe lol

[@lilithabunni]

I love your glasses so much in this video I could shed tears.

[@SooperBeez]

Tipping is the most ripoff shit ever, I never tip idgaf if i look like an ass.

[@reehji]

Deb Libra for expensive stuff, I'd tip roughly 10-15%. For inexpensive meals like $7-$10, maybe 2 dollars and whatever the loose change is. But i'm a student so...I can't tip much :3

[@SeriousCupOfTea]

I admit that I totally regret living in Korea. Koreans will never accept me because I'm a Korean who grew up in Canada. Korea is still a backward country no matter what people say otherwise. I prefer being a proud subject to my sovereign, the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth II. It's better than being a Korean. :)

[@ArualCrisp]

Aw :c I'd love to visit South Korea once but Im Lithuanian and they will probably get me wrong and think Im an American lol :c

[@ScarletFierce]

That really sucks. How is Canada tho? I've always lived in Florida.

[@ScarletFierce]

Well they have their Kpop and kdramas. its not as popular as anime but it has a large fanbase. As for "Seriouscupoftea" i'm sorry that your experience there was negative. I think if i got there they would judge me very differently because i'm hispanic. But my skin is very white and i have curly hair. I know they are into the white skin over there lol

[@JJK1]

i'm guessing you can't speak korean? they don't care if you grew up outside of korea, but they find it weird if you're korean but can't speak korean. i'm korean-american with near fluent korean and i get treated normally over there

[@JJK1]

also its not just korea. my italian friend's grandparents wanted to disown him because he doesn't know italian its hard to get "accepted" into any society if you don't know the language or the culture

[@Paiinx]

In Chile we have cards to pay both buses and subway and you have to pay $610 on the bus and up to $670 chilean pesos depending on the hour on the subway. Which is a little more than a dollar I think, but once you are in, you can go any distance you want in any direction through all lines (1,2,4,4a and 5, there's no 3 why? because we can (k' ignore that)) and you can do up to 3 combinations between buses and the subway and there'll be just a $20 extra charge :D also students pay just $160 pesos.

[@Komiopa]

In Korea, we use our bank card instead of monthly pass. It charges you every time when you use public transportation. Also you can use it for Taxi so you don't have to bring cash, debit card, opus card all together. I remember I paid around $60~70 per month. Now I'm in Montreal and buy monthly pass every month! lol

[@xechs88]

My younger brother taught in korea, and when I bought him his car I notice insurance and gas was very expensive especially when you consider you are paying similar or more then you would in Canada. Gas was like $2 a liter, that's almost as bad as europe and hong kong levels of expensive except you are getting korean wages which is really expensive comparatively.

[@jampark92]

I'm planning to visit Korea for the first time in 10 years after living in Australia and this video has given me a great insight to how much I will be spending in Korea! thanks!

[@CaptainTingo]

How was it!

[@AmoebaCulture]

Transportation: Public transportation is generally expensive in North America because it is a rare commodity. Public transportation tends to be less expensive in larger cities where it is generally accessible. For instance, a cab ride in NYC within Manhattan would cost around 20 bucks. Cabs in NYC are cheaper than other US cities. A cab ride in Seoul will cost anywhere between 5 to 20 bucks, on most nights out (unless you’re getting ripped off, which is usually the case after midnight).

[@yjs7]

As a Korean living In NYC, the subway/bus fee is $2.75 once you swipe in, and if you get off the right stop to transfer, then you don't have to pay again. Also, if you transfer from the bus to the subway and vice versa within 2 hours, it's free. You also have to tip here, and of course tax applies. Groceries are generally pretty cheap unless it's organic. Some housing is cheaper than others, but they are basically worse living condition-wise. I'd say there are plenty more cheap cute clothing shops in Korea than in NYC.

[@BeepBeepHong]

I agree, living in Toronto is very expensive :( I live in the GTA but go to school downtown. Commuting there and back per day costs me about $20. One bus fair ranges from $3.75 - $4.00. The subway system isn't that great either, as it doesn't reach a lot of areas? But it is expanding closer to my area which is great. Plus, they're creating a "downtown Vaughan" (vaughan, where i live in the GTA) and house prices are skyrocketing. When i moved here 10 years ago, i bought my house for roughly $400,000 now it's worth about $850,000 - $1,000,000. One combo meal from McDonalds costs $10+, but i usually buy Happy meals for $4 LOL Eating healthy is VERY EXPENSIVE. A salad costs $7, turkey sandwich/ club = $6, rice bowl or ramen and such.. range from $7-$12. (This is all based on my personal experiences and what i've seen). Being a college student, all i ever eat at school is a slice of pizza or Tim Hortons every single day 4 days a week. I try to make healthy choices but the "healthy" food selection is very small, and very pricey. UGH I should move to Korea too haha

[@amandasiobhan3959]

Glad I came across your channel. You guys are amazing!

[@Suh6727]

Yes. Shoes above a woman's size 8 usually isn't sold and if you ask, they might even laugh. As for the clothing, they are usually just in small or medium which typically run smaller than the sizes in western countries.

[@AmishGramish]

I just went grocery shopping yesterday. I was used to paying a lot for some produce in Japan, but at these prices, it's pretty much cheaper for me just to eat at restaurants and dine on the free rice and kimchi in my goshiwon. I typically spend $100 a week in the U.S. and Japan on food and bars, so on my budget (which focuses on exploring the food of the area), this seems to work fine.

[@spidernfs]

Hey SImon & Martina, thank you for these videos are very useful, I would apreciate it if you guys could give us your take on Real State; if its expensive, if its easy to find accomodation and the different types of rentals foreigners can find in Korea, thanx heaps.

[@nausicaa0hime]

In Montreal, the bus and metro pass is 75$ for the month. We have four ligns of metro here. It is 3$ per ticket if you don't have the pass. But if you're living in Laval or Longueuil (surban) and want to go to Montreal, it is the same price but you have to by the same ticket in Laval or Longueuil because we a ticket bought in Montreal. It would'nt work!

[@MissSilk]

All day transit in Sacramento, California, USA....is....$6 for over ages 18+, $3 for 18-. $2.50 for one stop........For a monthly pass it's like $100+, it will only be $100- if you're a college student or state/government worker so a discount is applied but overall still really expensive.

[@lesleymartinez5300]

In Chicago, trains and buses are $2.25 (normal price). For a bus transfer (if you have a ventra which is pretty much a bus pass) it's $0.25, if not then you pay $2.25 again. Students are given student ventras which would charge them $0.75 and $0.15 to transfer (student passes are given to high schoolers and college students). You can pay with cash on buses but bus passes are needed for train. If you take a train and miss your stop you can just go to the other side and get on the train going in the opposite direction free of charge. If you take the train to the loop you can transfer to another train route free of charge as well. (THIS IS JUST FOR CTA ventras work with Pace buses but I'm not sure how much they or metra trains cost)

[@altair_6225]

Vancouver transit is actually pretty expensive, especially with the 2013 price hikes. D: An adult fare for 1-zone (which is essentially within a region of Metro Vancouver (Tri-Cities, Downtown, Richmond/Surrey, etc.) is $2.75. 2-zones is $4, and 3-zones (which is what I would be spending x2 daily if I didn't have a UPass) is $5.50, and ALL of these passes only last you 1.5 hours. Problem is, 3 zones usually = 2+ hours. OTL Then there's discount student prices, which are only slightly cheaper.

[@elizabethortiz8628]

Well I take the public transportation in San Diego (California ) and for a day pass it is $5(if you have one of those electronic cards to add money on $7 if you don't ) that includes : the fare for the bus and the trolley in case you need to take the bus and then transfer to the trolley. Instead of paying separately for the bus ride and the trolley. There are also monthly passes and stickers which acts like the same thing that you can purchase at your university to stick on your school ID card to use.

[@chillinaturdadshouse]

In Washington DC the subway has 2 different prices peak/non-peak and the price per stop changes depending on rush hour! It's roughly 6-12 dollars U.S. for a round trip ticket!

[@AbbbezOlsson]

Here in Sweden you pay roughly 2,2 $ and then you get a ticket that enables you to board a bus/tram withing 1 hour. So you can switch to different bus/trams under that time.

[@thumper7149]

In San Francisco, for under 18 is 0.75$ and if ur older than that is 2 dollars, for seniors and children is free. the distance does not matter, as long as you pay, you can ride as long as you want. from the first stop to last stop

[@hole0101]

If you want proper produce, go to the markets. Its a lot cheaper than supermarkets and way more fresh too. Like W48,000 mango from supermarkets will cost less than half of that in the markets.

[@MrCaucasianasian]

In Melbourne, Australia its $2.00 just for a concession ticket that lasts for 2 hours and thats only one zone. To buy a daily ticket for the whole day, its $6.30 for a concession and $11+ for a standard fair -.- I wish I lived in Korea.

[@japhalpha]

I just started watching, and I love your intro

[@hiiluoclanatn]

In Hamilton (45 minutes from Toronto), bus tickets are $2.55 each and you get a transfer that lasts 2 hours. I wouldn't say it is too much.

[@QuacksXD]

live in canada sask and in a small town taxi ride is 8.50 from point A to B and its 10.00 for point A a quick stop on your way to B

[@Gleowyn]

If I remember right, you can get a monthly ticket in Helsinki Finland and charge it for about 30 euros, and it allows you to ride all forms or public transportation without additional costs.

[@IxiaClover]

In London, I know the buses are around £2.20, although it may have gone up, as I use the free under-16 Oyster. But that's to go anywhere, even for one stop, I believe- so it is pretty expensive, I think.

[@kkilldecide4myself]

Where I live in San Francisco Bay Area, it's $1.85 just to go one station on the train line (BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit). To go from one end of the line to the other can cost like $7.50 based on distance. (For example going from Millbrae to Pittsburg Bay Point). Basically it's really expensive and I think it's a lot more economical to take the bus.

[@dacianalowell3562]

Where I live in the UK, it costs £13 for a weeks travel on one type of bus service. (There's various bus services such as 'Stagecoach' - which is the one I'm talking about - and 'Go North East' etc) Is that cheap or expensive to anyone else? It's £3.80 for a day ticket on the bus, too.

[@AmoebaCulture]

Consumer Prices: The CPI in the US is generally higher than South Korea but this has to do with adjusting currency rates. If we were to adjust for currency fluctuation, I think daily consumer prices would be generally equal. As mentioned in the video, groceries are more expensive in Seoul, than in the US. I can’t imagine cooking at home in Seoul everyday - probably explains why there are so many restaurants.

[@xechs88]

Definitely go for a scooter or public transportation if you are on tight budget. It's just we have friends and family in military and it's faster and convenient to have a car for certain occasions.

[@7563able]

Its £2.40 in London for a one way and it differs on the underground alot by distance but you can get a travel card for a full day for £10-£12. Which is 4 dollars for a one way trip and 16-18 dollars. Everything differs from place to place.

[@Madedanielle]

in nyc a subway ride is 2.50 (or is it 2.25?) and you can use as many lines as you want as long as you dont leave the station. So you can transfer from line to line. the monthly card is 112. Buses are the same price per ride.

[@suh3271]

lool I'm Korean, and I lived in Jakarta for ten years and I moved two years ago... You're TOTALLY right about the traffic! It's so bad, and seriously the only thing you can see is red lights in the roads!! Oh yeah, and plus when it floods it's even worse, right??!! The water gets everywhere and one time my car actually got too deep in the water and it wouldn't go anywhere.. :D

[@DavidDavid054]

One zone in Stockholm is about 3 euro and extra zones are about 1.5 euro each (there are only 3 zones though). One month full acces of all zones ~ 80euro.

[@sylee7349]

In Boston, if you have a card its about $2 (less) but if youre a student and the school has student cards then its only 80 cents. If youre super lucky and manage to get your hands on an M5 or M7 (Idk what M means but the numbers stand for the days in a week so MON-FRI=5 while SAT-SUN=7) then its completely free if you live 1 or 2 miles (I forgot the limit) away from your school. But once you pay, you dont have to unless you transfer buses or get out of the subway thing where you pay/exit. Its pretty cheap here for students.

[@aznlily95]

from Chinatown (Manhattan's or 8th Ave's), from their bakeries. Some restaurants have really cheap rice and soup items ($4~$7) that are relatively healthy. But, there's sometime's tax, and always tip (unless you're stingy and mean). Produce-wise, once again, Chinatown's fruit stalls are pretty cheap, and sometimes really good quality, if you know where to go. But supermarket's often have expensive produce (berries and avocados and such). I CAN'T comprehend the $48 mango. That's crazy!

[@kiss2cry]

yeah about the same here in Melbourne, Aus. about $3 for a 2 hours ticket and about $6 for a day ticket (covering 2 zones)

[@itsjusthen]

San Francisco is $2 for 90 minutes (unless it has gone up AGAIN - I haven't been back for awhile). BUT if you pay cash as opposed to using one of those swipe (Clipper) cards, you may luck out and get a ticket that's good for like 3 hours because the driver was too lazy to adjust the time on it.

[@kelpeater34]

As an Australian born Singaporean-Malaysian I can definitely see where you are coming from! Having just spent two months majorly in Singapore you tend to notice that areas like Singapore, Korea and Japan have a cheaper lifestyle. As you said, I wouldn't expect to get a good meal for under ten dollars (it's almost tear-worthy if you do). The idea behind produce, and I only state this from my experience in Singapore, is that they don't have the resources within their own country and therefore outsource the responsibilty to able countries they have trade alliances with and that's why it may sometimes be more expensive. Also, as I was visiting, due to the floods occurring in Malaysia, one kind of crop could not be available and would significantly change the relations between Singapore and Malaysia as well as for the people of Singapore whom, if lucky enough would get it at an inflated prices.

[@VirtualWonderBoy]

In Sydney, Australia a ticket costs $5.80 for an adult and around $2.50 for students/children. Such an expensive service for constant delays and track work.

[@senpaitama8778]

+Gary Tee haha Same in Melbourne. It sucks everything is expensive! lel The food in Korea is sooo cheap, here in Melbourne it's like $7 for like a junk filled Zinger Burger.

[@crystalyeo912]

Agree 😭 everything is so expensive in aus ugh 🙄

[@XxxMuseluverxxX]

Simon, did you forget about the value menu at McDonalds? Everything on there is a dollar or less. Yes, there's tax but it's usually like 6 cents.bAlso, here in Florida, buses are really cheap. To go to the mall from a rural area is $1.25. I havent been on a bus for a while since we have a car now, but it was generally pretty cheap. I think it can be cheap in almost any country as long as you know where to shop (i.e markets and organic food trucks).

[@MidnightRaven66]

In Philadelphia it's 2 dollars for bus and subway, but for the regional rail it all depends on where your going its between 4-12 dollars for 1 person. That's not including AMTRAK

[@TheMellochello]

In Taiwan the most expensive you can get taking the MRT is maybe 70NT, which is 2 or so dollars, but usually it costs less that a dollar to get anywhere!

[@amazonz8590]

if you have special diet restrictions: ex: gluten free, veganism , vegetarian etc, how easy is it to eat out?

[@Geminibabe1389]

you guys are amazing! I love all of your vidoes!

[@paytonvandy8140]

I would love to become an English teacher in Korea. Once I'm certified, I am off. Thank you so much for these great videos, Simon and Martina! There's so much great advice here

[@CaptainTingo]

And did you 😃?

[@sofiafreitas4563]

hello, im from portugal - lisboa- and i think you have done really good videos about korea. i hope to go back one day, i loved seoul - and if i ever will go back, surely what you comment on korea will be real good information. and,...thanks for sharing your experience. i only spent 5 months in seoul, but i didn´t feel like leaving, when i left. and, has i was a student at the time, and now im much older - 40- i tend to look upon actual american students in korea.- or anybody who goes there - tenderly, as if i could totally relate with you...! goodbye, and have fun. sofia freitas

[@AmoebaCulture]

Taxes: South Korea, in general has a lower income (and residency/state) tax bracket vs. the US. However, this shouldn’t be a factor as international taxation agreements between most countries and Korea does not require double taxation. That is, you pay your taxes to the Korean government - you are omit from paying taxes to the US (although income still must be reported). However, this is quite a grey area and it really depends on your income bracket on your respective nation of residency.