Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $764 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Hefei versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Hefei $764
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in Hefei versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Hefei $1,215
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hefei versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Hefei $1,666
Seoul $3,931

Living in Hefei costs roughly 57% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hefei is 43% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ¥17.37

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-66.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ¥30.27

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-39.92%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥17.83

$4.23 ₩5,624

-36.88%

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

$0.49 ¥3.27

$1.63 ₩2,167

-69.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.74 ₩985

-63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$3.64 ₩4,843

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.27

$6.15 ₩8,175

-67.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$2.01 ₩2,679

-21.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$3.13 ₩4,164

-37.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.30

$4.32 ₩5,744

-81.71%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.22

$3.61 ₩4,794

-49.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 ¥92.5

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-22.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 ¥31.85

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-55.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.44

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-69.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.38 ₩4,499

-50.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$5.81 ₩7,723

-71.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$6.41 ₩8,520

-75.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$3.75 ₩4,983

-76.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$2.54 ₩3,375

-61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$2.84 ₩3,782

-70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$1.11 ₩1,472

-40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$3.35 ₩4,455

-8.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$2.40 ₩3,185

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$3.37 ₩4,480

-43.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.14 ₩1,521

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.14 ¥295

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-4.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$3.49 ₩4,643

-66.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.63 ₩840

-47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-60.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.51 ₩2,005

-13.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-35.01%

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

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-40.20%

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

$49.24 ¥329

$218 ₩289.2K

-77.36%

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

$9.03 ¥60.4

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-74.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-45.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 ¥105

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-72.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 ¥105

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-2.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ¥43.00

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-43.15%

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

$246 ¥1,645

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-87.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,528 ¥57.0K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-62.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 ¥608

$57.0 ₩75.8K

59.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ¥219

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 ¥422

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$82.5 ₩109.7K

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$901 ₩1.2M

-72.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$612 ₩813.5K

-70.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥3,679

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-73.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ¥24.0K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-87.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.8K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-83.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 ¥6,734

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-72.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

4.08

-22.79%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$230 30.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 107% $247

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$180 23.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 240% $432

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$128 16.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 14.3% $18

Eating Out

Hefei

$78 10.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 134% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.2%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 292% $204

Getting Around

Hefei

$48 6.3%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 19% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$29 3.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 182% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Hefei and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 262% 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: $23.00 in Hefei vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $477 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h ahead of Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hefei Seoul 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 135% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 262% 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: $249 in Hefei versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Hefei versus $1,794 in Seoul – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $764 in Hefei versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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, Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.