Home-cooked pork belly meals now cost over 40,000 won as ingredient prices surge 11.8% in a year

Preparing a pork belly dinner at home for a family of four now costs over 40,000 Korean won, a significant increase driven by rising ingredient prices. The cost for a single serving of ingredients, including pork belly, kimchi, garlic, lettuce, and ssamjang, climbed 11.8% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.

Specifically, pork belly prices rose 13.6% to 7,866 won per 200g serving. Lettuce increased by 6.3% to 1,314 won, and kimchi saw a 1.2% rise to 585 won. Garlic prices went up 10.2% to 281 won, while ssamjang jumped 19.8% to 145 won.

This surge in ingredient costs means the total for a four-person family's pork belly meal now surpasses 40,000 won. Experts predict that the burden on household budgets will not ease quickly due to these rising costs. Meanwhile, the cost of eating pork belly at restaurants increased by less than 3% during the same period. The average price for a single serving of pork belly when dining out was 17,745 won, a 2.7% increase year-on-year. The price difference between eating at home and dining out has narrowed to 7,554 won from 8,173 won a year ago.