Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanjing: $841 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Nanjing versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Nanjing $841
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,339 in Nanjing versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Nanjing $1,339
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,837 in Nanjing versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Nanjing $1,837
Seoul $3,872

Living in Nanjing costs roughly 54% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nanjing is 37% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.54

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-59.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 ¥148

$67.0 ₩89.8K

-66.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥33.22

$7.42 ₩9,941

-33.02%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ¥20.12

$4.08 ₩5,470

-26.23%

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

$0.50 ¥3.31

$1.60 ₩2,141

-68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.80 ₩1,078

-66.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$3.65 ₩4,886

-60.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$5.94 ₩7,956

-61.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ¥14.46

$2.05 ₩2,742

5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.84

$3.08 ₩4,130

-32.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$4.21 ₩5,646

-78.38%

Eggs

$1.35 ¥9.02

$3.57 ₩4,784

-62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$17.95 ₩24.1K

-40.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 ¥20.20

$10.64 ₩14.3K

-71.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥59.9

$26.44 ₩35.4K

-66.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$7.42 ₩9,946

-71.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$3.53 ₩4,732

-63.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$5.87 ₩7,866

-69.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$6.37 ₩8,534

-83.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$3.75 ₩5,028

-75.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.05

$2.49 ₩3,337

-63.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.92 ₩3,911

-68.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$1.15 ₩1,542

-54.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.05

$3.29 ₩4,408

13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 ¥89.2

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-27.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$2.28 ₩3,057

-55.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$3.28 ₩4,398

-52.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.14 ₩1,526

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.72 ¥199

$45.47 ₩60.9K

-34.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$3.48 ₩4,663

-49.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.60 ₩803

-31.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ¥59.6

$8.70 ₩11.7K

2.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.50 ₩2,004

-8.67%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$29.1K ₩39.0M

-34.31%

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

$16.6K ¥110.6K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-41.29%

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

$53.6 ¥358

$209 ₩279.9K

-74.35%

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

$7.59 ¥50.7

$35.13 ₩47.1K

-78.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-65.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.49 ¥190

$57.3 ₩76.8K

-50.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.70 ¥225

$15.89 ₩21.3K

112.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.15

$11.33 ₩15.2K

-48.28%

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

$1,459 ¥9,753

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-23.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ¥150.7K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥290

$58.9 ₩78.9K

-26.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 ¥226

$32.12 ₩43.0K

5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$70.1 ₩94.0K

-6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$82.5 ₩110.5K

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥3,535

$885 ₩1.2M

-40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,974

$624 ₩835.5K

-52.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥3,722

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-56.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 ¥33.5K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-83.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 ¥21.0K

$11.8K ₩15.9M

-73.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,419 ¥9,485

$3,649 ₩4.9M

-61.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

4.08

-16.18%

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

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanjing

$295 35.1%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 111% $328

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$205 24.4%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 133% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$103 12.3%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 6% $6.2

Eating Out

Nanjing

$95 11.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 92.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$68 8.1%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 287% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$40 4.8%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 98.9% $40

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 62.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Nanjing and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 157% 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: $22.00 in Nanjing vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $479 per month, with Nanjing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

16:25 4:25 PM

1 h ahead of Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Nanjing Seoul 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanjing
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

Nanjing vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanjing is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 157% 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: $529 in Nanjing versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nanjing – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $841 per month in Nanjing versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $841 in Nanjing versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nanjing but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Nanjing 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, Nanjing 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 Nanjing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.