South Korea ranks 11th in world for bread prices

South Korea has the world’s 11th most expensive bread, the highest among Asian countries.

According to the global cost-of-living website Numbeo, as of September 2025, the average price of a 500-gram loaf of bread in South Korea was $2.98, ranking 11th worldwide among 124 countries surveyed. Iceland had the highest bread price at $4.26, followed by Switzerland at $3.81 and the United States in third place. The top 10 countries were all Western nations.

Among Asian countries, South Korea ranked first. It was followed by Singapore in 21st place ($2.42), Hong Kong in 28th ($2.26), and China in 43rd ($1.66). Japan ranked 54th, with a price of $1.51, making bread in South Korea roughly twice as expensive as in Japan.

A type of bread called “salt bread,” which originated at a Japanese bakery called Pang Maison and has become popular in South Korea, sells for 120 yen (about 1,135 won) in Japan. In contrast, large South Korean franchise bakeries charge 2,600 to 2,800 won, while prices at independent bakeries range from 3,000 won up to the upper 4,000 won range.

According to Statistics Korea’s consumer price survey, the consumer price index for bread reached 138.55 in July this year, up 38.5% from the base year of 2020 (100). During the same month, processed food prices rose 4.1% year-on-year, while bread prices increased 6.4%. The rise was steeper than for other popular Korean snacks such as fried chicken or tteokbokki.


남혜정 namduck2@donga.com