The Kimchi-jjigae Index

What a standard Korean meal costs, region by region — the Big Mac Index logic applied to the meals people actually eat here. Prices are average shop prices surveyed by the Korea Consumer Agency, 7/2026. No editor picked these numbers; receipts did.

Source: Korea Price Information Portal (Chamgagyeok) — dining-out price survey (한국소비자원 참가격 외식비 가격동향) — Korea Consumer Agency (한국소비자원). Survey month 2026-07 · 8 staple menus × 16 regions. Retrieved 2026-08-29.

Methodology and limits

Kimchi-jjigae set meal (one serving), average shop price by region. The priciest region (Daejeon) charges 28% more than the cheapest (Jeonnam).

  1. 1Daejeon대전₩10,600
  2. 2Jeju제주₩9,625
  3. 3Jeonbuk전북₩9,550
  4. 4Chungbuk충북₩9,429
  5. 5Chungnam충남₩9,400
  6. 6Gwangju광주₩9,100
  7. 7Gangwon강원₩9,000
  8. 8Gyeongbuk경북₩8,923
  9. 9Gyeonggi경기₩8,841
  10. 10Gyeongnam경남₩8,808
  11. 11Ulsan울산₩8,800
  12. 12Incheon인천₩8,667
  13. 13Seoul서울₩8,654
  14. 14Daegu대구₩8,583
  15. 15Busan부산₩8,429
  16. 16Jeonnam전남₩8,278