Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changshu and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $707 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Changshu versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Changshu $707
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Changshu versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Changshu $1,120
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,532 in Changshu versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Changshu $1,532
Seoul $3,872

Living in Changshu costs roughly 61% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changshu is 47% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.12

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-70.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥143

$67.0 ₩89.4K

-68.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.30

$7.42 ₩9,900

-32.88%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ¥20.67

$4.08 ₩5,448

-24.26%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.60 ₩2,132

-73.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.80 ₩1,074

-66.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$3.65 ₩4,867

-74.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.78

$5.94 ₩7,924

-65.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$2.05 ₩2,731

-8.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$3.08 ₩4,113

-49.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$4.21 ₩5,623

-78.62%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.31

$3.57 ₩4,765

-56.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 ¥86.1

$17.95 ₩24.0K

-28.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥21.16

$10.64 ₩14.2K

-70.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.5

$26.44 ₩35.3K

-61.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$7.42 ₩9,906

-75.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$3.53 ₩4,713

-64.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$5.87 ₩7,834

-73.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$6.37 ₩8,500

-82.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$3.75 ₩5,008

-81.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.98

$2.49 ₩3,323

-64.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$2.92 ₩3,895

-80.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.15 ₩1,535

-56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.35

$3.29 ₩4,390

-7.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥71.2

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-42.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$2.28 ₩3,044

-67.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.91

$3.28 ₩4,380

-50.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.14 ₩1,519

-76.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.85 ¥113

$45.47 ₩60.7K

-62.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$3.48 ₩4,644

-60.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.60 ₩800

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 ¥45.56

$8.70 ₩11.6K

-21.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$1.50 ₩1,996

-24.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$29.1K ₩38.9M

-33.53%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$28.2K ₩37.6M

-39.94%

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

$44.92 ¥300

$209 ₩278.8K

-78.49%

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

$9.95 ¥66.5

$35.13 ₩46.9K

-71.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$21.18 ₩28.3K

-45.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 ¥282

$57.3 ₩76.5K

-26.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.3

$15.89 ₩21.2K

-13.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.29

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-48.10%

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

$340 ¥2,272

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-82.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$22.5K ₩30.1M

-23.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 ¥290

$58.9 ₩78.6K

-26.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 ¥201

$32.12 ₩42.9K

-6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥473

$70.1 ₩93.6K

0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥490

$82.5 ₩110.1K

-11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,853

$885 ₩1.2M

-68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$624 ₩832.2K

-69.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,986

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,370

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-72.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 ¥20.4K

$29.8K ₩39.8M

-89.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥13.4K

$11.8K ₩15.8M

-83.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

4.08

-4.66%

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

Last update for Changshu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changshu

$198 27.7%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 142% $281

Accommodation & Living

Changshu

$192 26.8%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 225% $432

Clothing & Footwear

Changshu

$98 13.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 12% $12

Eating Out

Changshu

$85 12%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 115% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changshu

$67 9.3%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 299% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Changshu

$54 7.6%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 48.1% $26

Getting Around

Changshu

$21 3%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 169% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Changshu and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Changshu vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $479 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changshu

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h ahead of Changshu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,677,050

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 = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Changshu Seoul 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Changshu
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

Changshu vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 157% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,061 in Changshu and $2,733 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: $277 in Changshu versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changshu – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $707 per month in Changshu versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $707 in Changshu versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu 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, Changshu 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.