Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cixi and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
Learn more

Cixi Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $725 in Cixi versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Cixi $725
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,145 in Cixi versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Cixi $1,145
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,564 in Cixi versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Cixi $1,564
Seoul $3,872

Living in Cixi costs roughly 60% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cixi is 46% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.14

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-68.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ¥146

$67.0 ₩89.4K

-67.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥31.61

$7.42 ₩9,900

-36.25%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.77

$4.08 ₩5,448

-27.45%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.60 ₩2,132

-70.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.80 ₩1,074

-63.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$3.65 ₩4,867

-74.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.64

$5.94 ₩7,924

-65.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.05 ₩2,731

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$3.08 ₩4,113

-48.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$4.21 ₩5,623

-77.43%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.28

$3.57 ₩4,765

-56.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$17.95 ₩24.0K

-29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.11

$10.64 ₩14.2K

-70.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$26.44 ₩35.3K

-60.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.42

$7.42 ₩9,906

-74.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$3.53 ₩4,713

-64.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$5.87 ₩7,834

-74.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$6.37 ₩8,500

-82.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$3.75 ₩5,008

-80.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$2.49 ₩3,323

-63.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$2.92 ₩3,895

-80.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$1.15 ₩1,535

-53.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.04

$3.29 ₩4,390

-4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-41.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$2.28 ₩3,044

-65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$3.28 ₩4,380

-49.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.14 ₩1,519

-74.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 ¥111

$45.47 ₩60.7K

-63.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$3.48 ₩4,644

-59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.60 ₩800

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 ¥44.85

$8.70 ₩11.6K

-22.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$1.50 ₩1,996

-24.67%

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

$19.7K ¥132.0K

$29.1K ₩38.9M

-32.19%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$28.2K ₩37.6M

-39.26%

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

$44.63 ¥298

$209 ₩278.8K

-78.63%

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

$9.55 ¥63.8

$35.13 ₩46.9K

-72.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$21.18 ₩28.3K

-44.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 ¥283

$57.3 ₩76.5K

-26.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 ¥94.7

$15.89 ₩21.2K

-10.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 ¥40.49

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-46.51%

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

$333 ¥2,227

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-82.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$22.5K ₩30.1M

-24.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.43 ¥290

$58.9 ₩78.6K

-26.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 ¥199

$32.12 ₩42.9K

-7.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ¥486

$70.1 ₩93.6K

3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥486

$82.5 ₩110.1K

-11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,894

$885 ₩1.2M

-67.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$624 ₩832.2K

-69.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 ¥3,929

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-76.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ¥2,448

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-71.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,000 ¥20.0K

$29.8K ₩39.8M

-89.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,998 ¥13.4K

$11.8K ₩15.8M

-83.14%

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 Cixi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cixi

$199 27.9%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 140% $280

Accommodation & Living

Cixi

$192 26.8%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 225% $432

Clothing & Footwear

Cixi

$98 13.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 11.4% $11

Eating Out

Cixi

$84 11.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 118% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cixi

$66 9.2%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 303% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Cixi

$54 7.6%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 46.9% $26

Getting Around

Cixi

$21 2.9%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 169% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Cixi and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Cixi vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $479 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Cixi

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

1 h ahead of Cixi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,829,488

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cixi Seoul 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cixi
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

Cixi vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 151% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,088 in Cixi 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: $283 in Cixi versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Cixi versus $1,902 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 140% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Cixi versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.