Cost of Living Comparison Between China and South Korea Cost of Living Comparison Between China and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 46.9% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 49.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: China is 49.8% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 49.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥19.31

$7.25 ₩10.7K

-61.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.14 ¥169

$43.33 ₩63.8K

-44.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 ¥33.15

$6.04 ₩8,901

-21.36%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ¥21.06

$3.84 ₩5,658

-21.35%

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

$0.44 ¥3.06

$1.63 ₩2,398

-73.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.87

$0.77 ₩1,127

-64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ¥6.67

$3.57 ₩5,263

-73.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥14.21

$4.84 ₩7,134

-57.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥12.21

$2.20 ₩3,241

-20.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.79

$3.09 ₩4,557

-45.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.85

$3.08 ₩4,530

-68.18%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.19

$2.94 ₩4,329

-45.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.34 ¥93.1

$13.59 ₩20.0K

-1.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ¥22.82

$9.09 ₩13.4K

-64.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 ¥74.2

$29.50 ₩43.5K

-63.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 ¥12.16

$7.71 ₩11.4K

-77.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.76

$3.41 ₩5,018

-63.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.13

$5.97 ₩8,800

-75.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥8.28

$6.21 ₩9,140

-80.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥5.08

$3.81 ₩5,615

-80.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.99

$2.84 ₩4,181

-69.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.30

$2.51 ₩3,703

-75.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.71

$1.21 ₩1,787

-56.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥24.03

$3.26 ₩4,798

5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.63 ¥81.2

$16.84 ₩24.8K

-30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.88

$2.14 ₩3,149

-60.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥11.30

$2.92 ₩4,294

-44.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.07

$1.13 ₩1,663

-61.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.71 ¥145

$46.42 ₩68.4K

-55.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$3.24 ₩4,774

-56.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.27

$0.53 ₩788

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 ¥45.42

$8.63 ₩12.7K

-24.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥8.19

$1.22 ₩1,798

-4.10%

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

$19.2K ¥133.9K

$28.1K ₩41.4M

-31.82%

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

$16.6K ¥116.1K

$23.7K ₩34.9M

-29.82%

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

$51.4 ¥359

$169 ₩249.1K

-69.61%

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

$9.63 ¥67.2

$41.72 ₩61.5K

-76.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ¥78.3

$21.57 ₩31.8K

-47.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 ¥273

$53.1 ₩78.2K

-26.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.70 ¥103

$19.71 ₩29.0K

-25.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ¥42.89

$11.16 ₩16.4K

-44.98%

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

$416 ¥2,905

$391 ₩575.8K

6.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥125.0K

$23.0K ₩33.9M

-22.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.24 ¥316

$58.4 ₩86.0K

-22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.59 ¥228

$48.84 ₩71.9K

-33.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.0 ¥509

$80.0 ₩117.8K

-8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 ¥508

$107 ₩157.4K

-31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ¥3,018

$626 ₩921.9K

-30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ¥1,767

$408 ₩600.4K

-37.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 ¥6,441

$1,566 ₩2.3M

-41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 ¥3,811

$972 ₩1.4M

-43.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,324 ¥37.2K

$13.8K ₩20.4M

-61.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 ¥19.4K

$8,446 ₩12.4M

-67.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,037 ¥7,240

$2,319 ₩3.4M

-55.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.2

-3.33%

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

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Last update for South Korea: January 10, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and South Korea Cost of Living Comparison Between China and South Korea

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