South Korea vs Türkiye

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

Country A

Country B

South Korea wage data: 2025 · Türkiye wage data: 2024 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

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's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 7.0% higher than Türkiye's.

Latest available wage years differ.

Türkiye

Average wage (2024)

$57,275

1-year change: +19.0%
5-year change: +61.0%

Overall price level (2024)

32 (United States = 100)

South Korea has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 7.0% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Türkiye shows the stronger change (+61.0% against +3.1%). Overall consumer prices are higher in South Korea, at 60.1 against 32 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +28.1 index points. The wage figures come from different years (2025 and 2024) and the price levels from 2024, so each economy is shown at its own latest available point.

Wage History

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

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

South KoreaTürkiye

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	South Korea	Türkiye
Latest wage	$61,259	$57,275
Latest year	2025	2024
1-year change	+0.6%	+19.0%
5-year change	+3.1%	+61.0%
10-year change	+18.3%	+96.2%
Historical peak	$61,259	$57,275
Peak year	2025	2024
Change from peak	0.0%	0.0%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

South Korea records the higher figure: $61,259 against $57,275, a gap of 7.0%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

The two are measured in different years — South Korea in 2025, Türkiye in 2024 — so this compares each economy's latest available point rather than a single common year. Where a strict same-year ranking is needed, the all-countries table uses the latest year for which every economy reports.

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

Türkiye had the stronger latest year (+19.0% against +0.6%).

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 Türkiye: +61.0% 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 — +18.3% for South Korea and +96.2% for Türkiye. 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	South Korea	Türkiye	Difference (KOR − TUR)	KOR vs U.S.	TUR vs U.S.
Overall	60.1	32	+28.1	−39.9	−68.0
Food	136	64	+72.0	+36.0	−36.0
Clothing	103	63.5	+39.5	+3.0	−36.5
Housing	38	16.8	+21.2	−62.0	−83.2
Health	37	14.5	+22.5	−63.0	−85.5
Transport	73.8	79.9	−6.1	−26.2	−20.1
Recreation	71.6	53.1	+18.5	−28.4	−46.9
Restaurants & Accommodation	82.4	55.1	+27.3	−17.6	−44.9

Overall
South Korea60.1
Türkiye32
Difference+28.1
KOR vs U.S.−39.9
TUR vs U.S.−68.0
Food
South Korea136
Türkiye64
Difference+72.0
KOR vs U.S.+36.0
TUR vs U.S.−36.0
Clothing
South Korea103
Türkiye63.5
Difference+39.5
KOR vs U.S.+3.0
TUR vs U.S.−36.5
Housing
South Korea38
Türkiye16.8
Difference+21.2
KOR vs U.S.−62.0
TUR vs U.S.−83.2
Health
South Korea37
Türkiye14.5
Difference+22.5
KOR vs U.S.−63.0
TUR vs U.S.−85.5
Transport
South Korea73.8
Türkiye79.9
Difference−6.1
KOR vs U.S.−26.2
TUR vs U.S.−20.1
Recreation
South Korea71.6
Türkiye53.1
Difference+18.5
KOR vs U.S.−28.4
TUR vs U.S.−46.9
Restaurants & Accommodation
South Korea82.4
Türkiye55.1
Difference+27.3
KOR vs U.S.−17.6
TUR vs U.S.−44.9

South Korea and Türkiye in Detail

Current Wage Position

South Korea reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $61,259 for 2025, and Türkiye $57,275 for 2024. That puts South Korea ahead by 7.0%.

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 South Korea changed by +0.6% and Türkiye by +19.0%. 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, Türkiye records the larger change at +61.0%, 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 +18.3% for South Korea and +96.2% for Türkiye. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

South Korea reached its highest recorded value of $61,259 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

Türkiye peaked at $57,275 in 2024, 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 60.1 in South Korea and 32 in Türkiye — +28.1 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Food (+72.0) and Clothing (+39.5).

Transport is where they are nearest, at 73.8 and 79.9.

Across the categories with data, South Korea 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.