Local Salaries · South Korea
What is a good salary in 🇰🇷 South Korea (Seoul)?
The median is about $2,316/month; top-10% earners clear $5,000/month.
The local wage ladder
| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $1,214 | $14,568 | 1,726,843 KRW/mo |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD). | $1,511 | $18,132 | 2,149,308 KRW/mo |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $2,316 | $27,792 | 3,294,373 KRW/mo |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $3,472 | $41,664 | 4,938,715 KRW/mo |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $5,000 | $60,000 | 7,112,205 KRW/mo |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $9,367 | $112,404 | 13,324,005 KRW/mo |
Modeled from World Bank GNI $37,880 (2025) and Gini 32.9. Check where you stand in the interactive benchmarker.
Countries with similar median pay
- 🇨🇿 Czechia — median $2,315/mo
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia — median $2,258/mo
- 🇯🇵 Japan — median $2,387/mo
- 🇵🇹 Portugal — median $2,073/mo
See also: what everyday life costs in South Korea · a fair US → South Korea salary
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good salary in South Korea?
- The median wage is about $2,316/month ($27,792/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $3,472/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $5,000/month.
- What is a top 10% salary in South Korea?
- Roughly $5,000/month ($60,000/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $9,367/month.
- What is the minimum wage in South Korea?
- About $1,511/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD).
- How are these South Korea salary figures calculated?
- A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($37,880, 2025) and the Gini index (32.9). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.