Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mianyang, Sichuan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $646 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $646 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Mianyang, Sichuan $646
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $998 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Mianyang, Sichuan $998
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,350 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350
Seoul $3,931

Mianyang, Sichuan is about 64% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mianyang, Sichuan sits 52% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.51

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-66.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ¥119

$68.4 ₩91.7K

-73.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.70

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-35.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.86

$4.23 ₩5,673

-29.79%

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

$0.43 ¥2.89

$1.63 ₩2,186

-73.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.74 ₩993

-62.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$3.64 ₩4,885

-59.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.09

$6.15 ₩8,245

-63.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$2.01 ₩2,702

-24.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$3.13 ₩4,200

-50.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$4.32 ₩5,793

-77.08%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.83

$3.61 ₩4,835

-55.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 ¥97.3

$17.83 ₩23.9K

-18.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.42

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-64.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 ¥73.2

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-57.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.93

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-76.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$3.38 ₩4,537

-61.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.07

$5.81 ₩7,790

-81.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$6.41 ₩8,593

-82.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$3.75 ₩5,026

-81.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$2.54 ₩3,405

-71.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$2.84 ₩3,815

-79.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.11 ₩1,485

-47.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$3.35 ₩4,493

10.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 ¥30.46

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-75.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$2.40 ₩3,213

-65.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ¥8.68

$3.37 ₩4,518

-61.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.14 ₩1,534

-74.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$3.49 ₩4,683

-69.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.63 ₩847

-58.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$8.86 ₩11.9K

-48.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.51 ₩2,023

-17.22%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$29.3K ₩39.3M

-32.93%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-38.30%

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

$47.71 ¥319

$218 ₩291.7K

-78.07%

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

$6.41 ¥42.80

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-81.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-41.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.89 ¥120

$58.1 ₩77.9K

-69.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ¥38.89

$11.31 ₩15.2K

-48.54%

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

$366 ¥2,446

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-81.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

$22.9K ₩30.7M

-35.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.80 ¥166

$57.0 ₩76.5K

-56.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.86 ¥186

$33.39 ₩44.8K

-16.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.0 ¥388

$71.5 ₩95.9K

-18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥356

$82.5 ₩110.7K

-35.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,508

$901 ₩1.2M

-74.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,291

$612 ₩820.5K

-68.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,747

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-83.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,226

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-73.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ¥18.1K

$29.4K ₩39.5M

-90.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,816 ¥12.1K

$11.9K ₩16.0M

-84.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 ¥4,890

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-79.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

4.08

-24.02%

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

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 217% $419

Groceries & Markets

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 149% $285

Eating Out

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 108% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 49.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 311% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 173% $51

Getting Around

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 1533% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $901 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 399% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $477 – making Mianyang, Sichuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h ahead of Mianyang, Sichuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,868,243

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 = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,504 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mianyang, Sichuan Seoul 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mianyang, Sichuan
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

Mianyang, Sichuan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 178% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 178%.

Kindergarten costs $366 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mianyang, Sichuan, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Mianyang, Sichuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mianyang, Sichuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mianyang, Sichuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.