Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jiangmen and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Jiangmen versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Jiangmen $513
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Jiangmen versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Jiangmen $998
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,483 in Jiangmen versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Jiangmen $1,483
Seoul $3,931

Living in Jiangmen costs roughly 71% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jiangmen is 62% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.29 ¥21.97

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-62.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.07 ¥201

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-56.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.49

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-29.58%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥15.38

$4.23 ₩5,624

-45.63%

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

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.63 ₩2,167

-73.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.74 ₩985

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$3.64 ₩4,843

-75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$6.15 ₩8,175

-76.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.01 ₩2,679

-20.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.89

$3.13 ₩4,164

-47.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.12

$4.32 ₩5,744

-75.23%

Eggs

$1.77 ¥11.86

$3.61 ₩4,794

-50.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.48 ¥144

$17.83 ₩23.7K

20.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.27

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-78.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.5

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ¥14.47

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-71.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$3.38 ₩4,499

-73.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$5.81 ₩7,723

-79.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.57

$6.41 ₩8,520

-77.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$3.75 ₩4,983

-82.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.25

$2.54 ₩3,375

-63.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.84 ₩3,782

-89.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$1.11 ₩1,472

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.45

$3.35 ₩4,455

-8.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-34.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$2.40 ₩3,185

-71.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$3.37 ₩4,480

-47.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$1.14 ₩1,521

-61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$3.49 ₩4,643

-59.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.63 ₩840

-38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 ¥47.43

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-19.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.51 ₩2,005

-11.26%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-32.44%

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

$16.5K ¥110.5K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-41.41%

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

$49.45 ¥331

$218 ₩289.2K

-77.27%

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

$8.60 ¥57.5

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-75.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.27 ¥82.1

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-42.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.28 ¥202

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-47.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.51 ¥30.19

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-71.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.40

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-42.62%

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

$251 ¥1,676

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-87.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,533 ¥50.4K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-67.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.21 ¥202

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-47.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.86 ¥266

$33.39 ₩44.4K

19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$71.5 ₩95.0K

1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.20 ¥296

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-46.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 ¥2,968

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-82.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,826

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-78.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-79.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 ¥8,178

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-89.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,957

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-83.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

4.08

-17.89%

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

Last update for Jiangmen: 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

Jiangmen

$230 44.9%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 107% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Jiangmen

$84 16.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 30.9% $26

Eating Out

Jiangmen

$80 15.6%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 129% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jiangmen

$70 13.7%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 290% $204

Sport & Entertainment

Jiangmen

$43 8.4%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 86.5% $37

Getting Around

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 1024% $52

Accommodation & Living

Jiangmen

- * 0%

Seoul

$612 34.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Seoul pays 517% 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: $30.00 in Jiangmen vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $477 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h ahead of Jiangmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,448,871

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 20, 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 20, 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

Jiangmen Seoul 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jiangmen
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

Jiangmen vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiangmen and Seoul differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($513 vs $1,794 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 517% 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.

Childcare runs $251 in Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $513 in Jiangmen versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen 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, Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.