Monthly household spending on food and soft drinks South Korea 2017-2023

In 2023, households in South Korea spent an average of around 397,000 South Korean won on food and soft drinks, ranking among the leading three household expenditure categories. Aside from non-consumption expenditures, spending for restaurants and hotels placed slightly ahead of food and beverage spending.

Dining out in South Korea

Going out to have lunch or dinner was a frequent activity among South Korean consumers, and in 2023, over 407,000 won were spent on meals in restaurants on average monthly per household. The most popular restaurant types to visit with one’s household or family were by far Korean restaurants. Although eating out can be expensive, grocery prices in South Korea are also rather costly, and even more so now as food prices continue to increase due to inflation.

Food delivery

Not only is visiting restaurants in person popular in South Korea but also using delivery services that offer a large variety of options is done by most consumers. As with most service-related services, convenience and fast delivery times are very important, as South Korea is known as a very consumer-oriented country. In this quest for convenience, online grocery shopping has also established itself as a purchase channel for groceries.