Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantong and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Nantong versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Nantong $750
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Nantong versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Nantong $1,237
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Nantong versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Nantong $1,725
Seoul $3,931

Living in Nantong costs roughly 58% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nantong is 44% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-65.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ¥158

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-65.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 ¥29.64

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-41.25%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$4.23 ₩5,624

-34.04%

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

$0.63 ¥4.23

$1.63 ₩2,167

-61.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.74 ₩985

-55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$3.64 ₩4,843

-80.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$6.15 ₩8,175

-64.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.01 ₩2,679

-19.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$3.13 ₩4,164

-51.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$4.32 ₩5,744

-81.71%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.55

$3.61 ₩4,794

-52.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 ¥44.59

$17.83 ₩23.7K

-62.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ¥24.66

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-64.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-59.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.37

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-69.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$3.38 ₩4,499

-58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$5.81 ₩7,723

-73.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$6.41 ₩8,520

-77.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.51

$3.75 ₩4,983

-82.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.04

$2.54 ₩3,375

-64.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.46

$2.84 ₩3,782

-76.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.11 ₩1,472

-54.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$3.35 ₩4,455

2.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 ¥61.1

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-50.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$2.40 ₩3,185

-69.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$3.37 ₩4,480

-51.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$1.14 ₩1,521

-81.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-68.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$3.49 ₩4,643

-44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.63 ₩840

-39.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.78

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-20.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.51 ₩2,005

-19.87%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-33.00%

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

$18.8K ¥125.8K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-33.30%

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

$47.85 ¥320

$218 ₩289.2K

-78.00%

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

$7.48 ¥50.0

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-78.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.96 ¥100

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-29.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 ¥763

$58.1 ₩77.2K

96.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ¥80.0

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-25.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ¥51.3

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-32.10%

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

$203 ¥1,356

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-89.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥80.1K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

-47.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ¥388

$57.0 ₩75.8K

1.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.62 ¥285

$33.39 ₩44.4K

27.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 ¥443

$71.5 ₩95.0K

-7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$82.5 ₩109.7K

33.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,422

$901 ₩1.2M

-76.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ¥946

$612 ₩813.5K

-76.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ¥4,656

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-72.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,367

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-72.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,720 ¥24.9K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-87.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,249 ¥15.0K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-81.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 ¥8,622

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-64.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.08

-14.22%

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

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nantong

$182 24.3%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 162% $295

Accommodation & Living

Nantong

$142 18.9%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 332% $470

Sport & Entertainment

Nantong

$130 17.3%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 37.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Nantong

$125 16.6%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 11.8% $15

Eating Out

Nantong

$83 11%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 122% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantong

$70 9.4%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 290% $204

Getting Around

Nantong

$19 2.6%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 196% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Nantong and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 183% 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: $24.00 in Nantong vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $477 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nantong

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

1 h ahead of Nantong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,726,635

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 →

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Nantong Seoul 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nantong
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

Nantong vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nantong and Seoul differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($750 vs $1,794 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 183% 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: $213 in Nantong versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $203 in Nantong versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 162% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Nantong versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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, Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.