The Big Mac in South Korea: how long you work to afford one

A Big Mac in South Korea costs 5,700 KRW (about $3.84). Here's how long different jobs must work to afford one:

JobTime per Big MacPay basis
Public-school teacher3.1 min63,621,027 KRW/yr ÷ 578 teaching hrs source (high confidence)
Minimum-wage worker36 minmin wage 9,620 KRW/hr source (medium confidence)
UberX driver53 minnet 6,500 KRW/hr source (low confidence)

The teaching figure is annual public-school salary ÷ annual net teaching (contact) hours — pay per minute of lecturing, not take-home pay. Teachers also spend uncounted time on planning, grading and holidays.

Data updated 2026-08-12. Big Mac prices: The Economist Big Mac Index.

Compare every country: teaching · minimum-wage work · UberX driving.

Other countries in Asia: 🇨🇳 China · 🇭🇰 Hong Kong · 🇮🇩 Indonesia · 🇮🇳 India · 🇯🇵 Japan · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · 🇵🇰 Pakistan · 🇵🇭 Philippines · 🇸🇬 Singapore · 🇹🇭 Thailand