The almighty won

We've been in Korea for a week now and are starting to figure out how far our money will go here. We've been trying to avoid buying a lot of things until we move into our apartment, since our suitcases are stuffed as they are. But we've definitely seen a trend in the cost of certain things. I've created this chart showing how the prices here compare with back home in Chicago.

Things that are cheaper:
- A meal at a non-chain restaurant: 5000 KRW ($4 USD)
- A meal at a chain or Western-style restaurant: 10000 KRW ($8 USD)
- Cabs: 10 minute ride costs 4000 KRW ($3.20 USD)
- Bottled water from stand: 1000 KRW ($.80 USD)

Things that are more expensive:
- Shaving cream: 8000 KRW ($6.40)
- Apartment deposit for 1 million krw/month apartment ($800 USD): 7-10 million KRW ($5,600 to $8,000 USD)
- Tea and cookies at a tea house: 9000 KRW ($7 USD)

Another cost we'll have to deal with when we get an apartment is potable water. Most Korean homes do not have safe drinking water, so they have to boil the water for at least a half hour to purify it. It is customary to make a wheat tea with the boiled water. The tea is supposed to be good for your health and help with weight loss.

As much as I like tea, getting used to not drinking normal water has been difficult. Right now we're buying bottled water, but we're talking about getting a water purifier for our apartment. I guess it's just another example of how things seem so similar here, yet so different.