🇰🇷 South Korea · Utilities
South Korea utilities
What it actually costs to live there.
₩420,000
Monthly utilities (5 items + extras)
Average per household, official sources.
| Item | Avg / month | Range | Social mirror |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ₩22,000 | ₩12,000—₩45,000 | Water utility = state monopoly → low price variance, minimal regional gap. |
| Electricity | ₩65,000 | ₩30,000—₩180,000 | Electricity = single state provider + tiered pricing → summer AC usage directly raises bills. |
| Gas | ₩48,000 | ₩10,000—₩200,000 | Winter heating = the main household-bill shock. Wide gap between urban and rural. |
| Mobile phone | ₩55,000 | ₩25,000—₩100,000 | Mobile = 3-carrier oligopoly → only 0.5x price gap. MVNO reveals the cartel. |
| Internet | ₩35,000 | ₩25,000—₩60,000 | Korean internet = world-class speed + 3-carrier price cartel → 1Gbps is the standard. |
| Apartment management fee ★ | ₩195,000 | ₩80,000—₩400,000 | 'Management fee' = uniquely Korean integrated billing — common-area utilities + heating + cleaning bundled. |
By household type
Single · 4-person family · elderly couple.
| Household | Size | Avg total / month |
|---|---|---|
| single | 1 | ₩165,000 |
| family4 | 4 | ₩420,000 |
| elder | 2 | ₩215,000 |
Share of income (households × income tiers)
9-cell matrix: how much of your salary goes to utilities.
| low ₩2,500,000 | median ₩4,200,000 | high ₩8,500,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| single | 6.6% | 3.9% | 1.9% |
| family4 | 16.8% | 10.0% | 4.9% |
| elder | 8.6% | 5.1% | 2.5% |
📚 Go deeper
Compare providers · Cultural context.