South Korea vs United Kingdom

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

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)

United Kingdom's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 8.2% higher than South Korea's.

United Kingdom

Average wage (2025)

$66,299

1-year change: +0.7%
5-year change: +1.2%

Overall price level (2024)

84.3 (United States = 100)

United Kingdom has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 8.2% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years South Korea shows the stronger change (+3.1% against +1.2%). Overall consumer prices are higher in United Kingdom, at 84.3 against 60.1 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +24.2 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)

South KoreaUnited Kingdom

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	South Korea	United Kingdom
Latest wage	$61,259	$66,299
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+0.6%	+0.7%
5-year change	+3.1%	+1.2%
10-year change	+18.3%	+3.3%
Historical peak	$61,259	$66,480
Peak year	2025	2019
Change from peak	0.0%	−0.3%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

United Kingdom records the higher figure: $66,299 against $61,259, a gap of 8.2%. 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: +0.6% in South Korea and +0.7% in United Kingdom.

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 South Korea: +3.1% against +1.2%.

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 +3.3% for United Kingdom. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

South Korea is at its historical peak in the latest year, while United Kingdom sits 0.3% from its high of 2019. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

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	United Kingdom	Difference (KOR − GBR)	KOR vs U.S.	GBR vs U.S.
Overall	60.1	84.3	−24.2	−39.9	−15.7
Food	136	85.1	+50.9	+36.0	−14.9
Clothing	103	78.9	+24.1	+3.0	−21.1
Housing	38	95.4	−57.4	−62.0	−4.6
Health	37	72.1	−35.1	−63.0	−27.9
Transport	73.8	111	−37.2	−26.2	+11.0
Recreation	71.6	90.2	−18.6	−28.4	−9.8
Restaurants & Accommodation	82.4	87.2	−4.8	−17.6	−12.8

Overall
South Korea60.1
United Kingdom84.3
Difference−24.2
KOR vs U.S.−39.9
GBR vs U.S.−15.7
Food
South Korea136
United Kingdom85.1
Difference+50.9
KOR vs U.S.+36.0
GBR vs U.S.−14.9
Clothing
South Korea103
United Kingdom78.9
Difference+24.1
KOR vs U.S.+3.0
GBR vs U.S.−21.1
Housing
South Korea38
United Kingdom95.4
Difference−57.4
KOR vs U.S.−62.0
GBR vs U.S.−4.6
Health
South Korea37
United Kingdom72.1
Difference−35.1
KOR vs U.S.−63.0
GBR vs U.S.−27.9
Transport
South Korea73.8
United Kingdom111
Difference−37.2
KOR vs U.S.−26.2
GBR vs U.S.+11.0
Recreation
South Korea71.6
United Kingdom90.2
Difference−18.6
KOR vs U.S.−28.4
GBR vs U.S.−9.8
Restaurants & Accommodation
South Korea82.4
United Kingdom87.2
Difference−4.8
KOR vs U.S.−17.6
GBR vs U.S.−12.8

South Korea and United Kingdom in Detail

Current Wage Position

South Korea reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $61,259 for 2025, and United Kingdom $66,299 for 2025. That puts United Kingdom ahead by 8.2%.

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 United Kingdom by +0.7%. 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, South Korea records the larger change at +3.1%, against +1.2% for United Kingdom. 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 +3.3% for United Kingdom. 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.

United Kingdom peaked at $66,480 in 2019, leaving its latest value 0.3% 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 84.3 in United Kingdom — −24.2 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Housing (−57.4) and Food (+50.9).

Restaurants & Accommodation is where they are nearest, at 82.4 and 87.2.

Across the categories with data, United Kingdom 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.