Israel vs South Korea

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Israel

Average wage (2025)

$57,426

1-year change: +0.5%
5-year change: +5.8%

Overall price level (2024)

93.1 (United States = 100)

South Korea's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 6.7% higher than Israel's.

South Korea

Average wage (2025)

$61,259

1-year change: +0.6%
5-year change: +3.1%

Overall price level (2024)

60.1 (United States = 100)

South Korea has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 6.7% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Israel shows the stronger change (+5.8% against +3.1%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Israel, at 93.1 against 60.1 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +33.0 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

IsraelSouth Korea

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Israel	South Korea
Latest wage	$57,426	$61,259
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+0.5%	+0.6%
5-year change	+5.8%	+3.1%
10-year change	+19.8%	+18.3%
Historical peak	$57,426	$61,259
Peak year	2025	2025
Change from peak	0.0%	0.0%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

South Korea records the higher figure: $61,259 against $57,426, a gap of 6.7%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

The latest year moved both by a similar amount: +0.5% in Israel and +0.6% in South Korea.

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Israel: +5.8% against +3.1%.

For both economies the latest year points the same way as the five-year change, so the recent movement reads as continuation rather than a turn.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +19.8% for Israel and +18.3% for South Korea. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Both are at their historical peaks in the latest year, so neither series is currently below a previous high.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Israel	South Korea	Difference (ISR − KOR)	ISR vs U.S.	KOR vs U.S.
Overall	93.1	60.1	+33.0	−6.9	−39.9
Food	124	136	−12.0	+24.0	+36.0
Clothing	106	103	+3.0	+6.0	+3.0
Housing	93.9	38	+55.9	−6.1	−62.0
Health	83.3	37	+46.3	−16.7	−63.0
Transport	109	73.8	+35.2	+9.0	−26.2
Recreation	99.2	71.6	+27.6	−0.8	−28.4
Restaurants & Accommodation	130	82.4	+47.6	+30.0	−17.6

Overall
Israel93.1
South Korea60.1
Difference+33.0
ISR vs U.S.−6.9
KOR vs U.S.−39.9
Food
Israel124
South Korea136
Difference−12.0
ISR vs U.S.+24.0
KOR vs U.S.+36.0
Clothing
Israel106
South Korea103
Difference+3.0
ISR vs U.S.+6.0
KOR vs U.S.+3.0
Housing
Israel93.9
South Korea38
Difference+55.9
ISR vs U.S.−6.1
KOR vs U.S.−62.0
Health
Israel83.3
South Korea37
Difference+46.3
ISR vs U.S.−16.7
KOR vs U.S.−63.0
Transport
Israel109
South Korea73.8
Difference+35.2
ISR vs U.S.+9.0
KOR vs U.S.−26.2
Recreation
Israel99.2
South Korea71.6
Difference+27.6
ISR vs U.S.−0.8
KOR vs U.S.−28.4
Restaurants & Accommodation
Israel130
South Korea82.4
Difference+47.6
ISR vs U.S.+30.0
KOR vs U.S.−17.6

Israel and South Korea in Detail

Current Wage Position

Israel reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $57,426 for 2025, and South Korea $61,259 for 2025. That puts South Korea ahead by 6.7%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Israel changed by +0.5% and South Korea by +0.6%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, Israel records the larger change at +5.8%, against +3.1% for South Korea. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +19.8% for Israel and +18.3% for South Korea. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Israel reached its highest recorded value of $57,426 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

South Korea peaked at $61,259 in 2025, leaving its latest value 0.0% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 93.1 in Israel and 60.1 in South Korea — +33.0 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Housing (+55.9) and Restaurants & Accommodation (+47.6).

Clothing is where they are nearest, at 106 and 103.

Across the categories with data, Israel is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.