Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanchong and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $682 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Nanchong
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Nanchong Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Nanchong

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $682 per month in Nanchong vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Nanchong $682
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,112 per month in Nanchong vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Nanchong $1,112
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,543 per month in Nanchong vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Nanchong $1,543
Seoul $3,931

Nanchong is about 62% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nanchong sits 50% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.75 ¥11.70

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-80.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 ¥151

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-66.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 ¥20.17

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-59.95%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ¥13.49

$4.23 ₩5,624

-52.25%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.63 ₩2,167

-73.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.74 ₩985

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.14

$3.64 ₩4,843

-66.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$6.15 ₩8,175

-71.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$2.01 ₩2,679

-3.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$3.13 ₩4,164

-48.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$4.32 ₩5,744

-85.42%

Eggs

$2.16 ¥14.41

$3.61 ₩4,794

-40.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.25 ¥122

$17.83 ₩23.7K

2.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.95

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-67.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ¥66.7

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-61.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-80.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$3.38 ₩4,499

-61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$5.81 ₩7,723

-78.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.04

$6.41 ₩8,520

-81.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$3.75 ₩4,983

-82.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$2.54 ₩3,375

-63.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$2.84 ₩3,782

-70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$1.11 ₩1,472

-45.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.82

$3.35 ₩4,455

-11.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 ¥58.4

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.43

$2.40 ₩3,185

-66.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

$3.37 ₩4,480

-49.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ¥2.25

$1.14 ₩1,521

-70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.28 ¥122

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-60.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$3.49 ₩4,643

-56.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.63 ₩840

-50.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥20.58

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-65.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.51 ₩2,005

-13.25%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-33.49%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-40.25%

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

$44.74 ¥299

$218 ₩289.2K

-79.43%

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

$7.19 ¥48.08

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-79.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.88 ¥46.01

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-67.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.93 ¥280

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.50 ¥97.0

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-9.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ¥41.16

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-45.53%

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

$292 ¥1,955

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-84.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K ¥170.8K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

11.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.45 ¥264

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-30.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.06 ¥201

$33.39 ₩44.4K

-9.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥431

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.9 ¥427

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$901 ₩1.2M

-66.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,222

$612 ₩813.5K

-70.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-75.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 ¥2,557

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-69.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,201 ¥21.4K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-89.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,973 ¥13.2K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-83.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

4.08

-18.14%

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

Last update for Nanchong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanchong

$214 31.4%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 123% $263

Accommodation & Living

Nanchong

$183 26.8%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 235% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Nanchong

$89 13.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 23.6% $21

Eating Out

Nanchong

$60 8.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 207% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanchong

$59 8.6%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 366% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Nanchong

$54 8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 48.7% $26

Getting Around

Nanchong

$23 3.3%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 152% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Nanchong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Nanchong versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $477 – making Nanchong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanchong

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Nanchong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,607,565

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 →

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Between locations

Nanchong Seoul 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanchong
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

Nanchong vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $682 in Nanchong, $1,794 in Seoul – roughly 163% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,022 per month in Nanchong 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 Nanchong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $292 per month in Nanchong and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 123% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanchong, where all-in costs run around $682, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Nanchong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchong – 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 Nanchong. 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.