Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baoji and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $756 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baoji and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Baoji and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Baoji versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Baoji $756
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Baoji versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Baoji $1,139
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Baoji versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Baoji $1,521
Seoul $3,931

Living in Baoji costs roughly 58% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baoji is 44% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.33

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-68.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.92 ¥79.7

$68.4 ₩91.6K

-82.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.83

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-40.85%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ¥14.54

$4.23 ₩5,664

-48.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.63 ₩2,182

-82.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.74 ₩992

-63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$3.64 ₩4,878

-60.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.80

$6.15 ₩8,233

-76.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$2.01 ₩2,698

-26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$3.13 ₩4,194

-44.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$4.32 ₩5,785

-78.94%

Eggs

$0.86 ¥5.74

$3.61 ₩4,828

-76.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$17.83 ₩23.9K

-34.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 ¥26.51

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-62.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.7

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-58.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.17

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-78.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.44

$3.38 ₩4,531

-67.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$5.81 ₩7,778

-78.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$6.41 ₩8,580

-80.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$3.75 ₩5,018

-83.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$2.54 ₩3,400

-72.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.84 ₩3,809

-78.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$1.11 ₩1,483

-51.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$3.35 ₩4,487

2.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.2

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-47.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.40 ₩3,208

-68.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.73

$3.37 ₩4,512

-48.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.14 ₩1,531

-74.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 ¥111

$46.11 ₩61.7K

-64.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$3.49 ₩4,677

-63.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.63 ₩846

-53.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.19

$8.86 ₩11.9K

-48.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$1.51 ₩2,020

-9.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.3K ¥129.4K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-33.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-37.95%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$90.2 ¥603

$218 ₩291.3K

-58.53%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.31 ¥42.18

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-82.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.5

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-49.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.46 ¥311

$58.1 ₩77.8K

-19.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 ¥88.1

$16.10 ₩21.6K

-18.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.82

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-48.63%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$701 ¥4,686

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-64.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$22.9K ₩30.6M

-23.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.43 ¥264

$57.0 ₩76.4K

-30.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 ¥252

$33.39 ₩44.7K

12.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$71.5 ₩95.7K

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥612

$82.5 ₩110.5K

10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$901 ₩1.2M

-69.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,311

$612 ₩819.3K

-67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 ¥4,209

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-75.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,337

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-72.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,178 ¥21.3K

$29.4K ₩39.4M

-89.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,815 ¥12.1K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-84.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

4.08

-17.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Baoji: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Baoji

$196 25.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 212% $416

Groceries & Markets

Baoji

$192 25.3%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 149% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Baoji

$109 14.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 0.7% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baoji

$107 14.2%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 155% $167

Eating Out

Baoji

$74 9.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 149% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Baoji

$58 7.7%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 38.9% $23

Getting Around

Baoji

$20 2.7%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 180% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Baoji and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Baoji vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $477 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baoji

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

1 h ahead of Baoji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,438,000

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baoji Seoul 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baoji
Seoul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Baoji vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,135 in Baoji and $2,692 in Seoul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Baoji versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 178% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $701 in Baoji versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $756 in Baoji versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Baoji and Seoul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.