By Remind me to never buy a coffee on Okinawa:
Seoul still ranks among the world’s most expensive cities in some respects, but in others prices appear to have dropped into the middle ground, a study suggests.
A cappuccino and pastry costs US$5.22 in a coffee shop in the U.S. but $6.90 in Seoul, $6.50 in Tokyo, $4.03 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, $5.95 in Mildenhall, the U.K., and $2.73 in Naples, Italy. Only the remote Japanese islands of Okinawa put even Seoul in the shade, with the caffe-cornetto costing a whopping $9.12 there.
The U.S. military regularly surveys prices of daily necessities and services in countries where its servicemen are stationed to maintain equal buying power with their stateside peers, topping up pay with allowances if it is not enough to maintain an equal quality of life due to high local prices.
The Cost of Living Allowance or COLA survey was carried in the latest issue of the military daily Stars and Stripes. It shows that while coffee is expensive in Seoul, a McDonald’s Big Mac meal costs $4.38, making it cheaper than Naples ($9.94), the U.S. mainland ($5.68), Tokyo ($6.41), and Mildenhall ($6.28). A movie ticket is the most expensive in Tokyo at $19.56, compared to $6.73 in Seoul and $7.18 in the U.S.
Since early this year, U.S. servicemen in Korea have received less COLA due to the weak won currency. A U.S. soldier with three year’s of service in Seoul got $51 in COLA this month, behind their counterparts in Tokyo, who got $298, Naples ($167), Mildenhall ($109), or Grafenwoehr ($101). COLA tots up to about $1.8 billion a year. [Chosun Ilbo]
9:14 pm on August 31st, 2009 1
Other than housing/rent and maybe the cappuccino mentioned, I personally believe Korea is less expensive than the states. Others may have a different opinion.
12:19 am on September 1st, 2009 2
are these states for single soldiers? our COLA just went up from $40 to almost $200!!! we are unaccompanied but I still came and got my own apt which BHA (or whatever the acronyms are) covers. I wonder if that increase is concerning me??
10:41 am on September 1st, 2009 3
Pete, the wife and I have been shocked at the price increases across the board we have seen in the last 18 months. The price of one of our favorite meals Sambap (삼밥) went from 5,500won to 7 and now 8,000 won in just under a year. One of our lunch favorites, kimchi chigae went from 5,000 to 7,000 and I suspect it might be higher since we have not gone back in the past two months. All types of fruit are much, much more expensive in Korea. My wife's favorite Korean snacks are about 20% more expensive now and there are noticably less snacks in the bags. Tuition at a Korean night class I used to go to went up nearly 30%.
As a non-scientific comparison, when we return from the Comissary we can barely carry the bags and it runs $90-110 for most weeks. Our trip to E-mart or Lotte-mart costs about the same but I carry a few bags out while my wife carries nothing.
Basically, if you are an American buying American style coffee, hamburgers etc you are okay. If you are buying Korean items you are getting hosed from a year ago.
11:21 am on September 1st, 2009 4
where are you eating that chigae is over 7000? I know fruit is always much more expensive but I have experienced eating Korean has always been much cheaper then western food here (beside mcds). Jaja myung is still 3,000 and it is big enough to feed two! I think the areas near the bases are much higher the elsewhere. I dont live near a base so I think the prices are fairly cheap and havent really increased since I lived here 5 years ago.
11:47 am on September 1st, 2009 5
Chunmu-ro Sam-ga, and it's like crack. There are two much cheaper places we go to sometimes near Yongsan but they are not nearly as good. The pork is beautiful/just falling apart not that stringy/grisle/fatty stuff many places use and the Kimchi is excellent.