Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changchun 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 Changchun and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Changchun versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Changchun $912
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Changchun versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Changchun $1,335
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,757 in Changchun versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Changchun $1,757
Seoul $3,931

Living in Changchun costs roughly 49% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changchun is 32% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.71

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-66.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$68.4 ₩91.6K

-67.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.69

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-31.17%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥16.66

$4.23 ₩5,664

-41.13%

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

$0.48 ¥3.20

$1.63 ₩2,182

-70.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.74 ₩992

-60.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$3.64 ₩4,878

-67.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$6.15 ₩8,233

-70.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$2.01 ₩2,698

-5.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$3.13 ₩4,194

-61.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$4.32 ₩5,785

-66.44%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.33

$3.61 ₩4,828

-49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.91 ¥233

$17.83 ₩23.9K

95.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥39.33

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-43.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-59.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-77.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$3.38 ₩4,531

-56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$5.81 ₩7,778

-69.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$6.41 ₩8,580

-70.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$3.75 ₩5,018

-76.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$2.84 ₩3,809

-78.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.11 ₩1,483

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.44

$3.35 ₩4,487

8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.59 ¥138

$18.49 ₩24.8K

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.40 ₩3,208

-61.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$3.37 ₩4,512

-66.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.14 ₩1,531

-61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$3.49 ₩4,677

-64.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.11

$0.63 ₩846

-50.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$8.86 ₩11.9K

-66.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.51 ₩2,020

-17.88%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-33.11%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-36.35%

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

$75.1 ¥502

$218 ₩291.3K

-65.47%

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

$4.52 ¥30.24

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-87.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.5

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-30.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 ¥257

$58.1 ₩77.8K

-33.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.21 ¥28.18

$16.10 ₩21.6K

-73.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 ¥45.91

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-39.35%

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

$546 ¥3,650

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-71.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.2K

$22.9K ₩30.6M

-6.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ¥496

$57.0 ₩76.4K

30.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 ¥303

$33.39 ₩44.7K

35.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥407

$71.5 ₩95.7K

-14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 ¥475

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$901 ₩1.2M

-75.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,679

$612 ₩819.3K

-58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥3,847

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-77.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,073

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-75.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,661 ¥11.1K

$29.4K ₩39.4M

-94.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 ¥6,789

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-91.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 ¥6,451

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-73.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.08

7.11%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$315 * 34.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 51.4% $162

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$251 27.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 144% $361

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$113 12.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 2.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$95 10.4%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 190% $179

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 125% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$52 5.7%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 54.6% $29

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 1160% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Changchun and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 278% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changchun vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $477 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

1 h ahead of Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

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

Changchun Seoul 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

Changchun vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 278% lower in Seoul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Changchun versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $546 in Changchun versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun 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, Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.