Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $815 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Quanzhou versus $1,794 in Seoul.

Quanzhou $815
Seoul $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,204 in Quanzhou versus $2,863 in Seoul.

Quanzhou $1,204
Seoul $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,593 in Quanzhou versus $3,931 in Seoul.

Quanzhou $1,593
Seoul $3,931

Living in Quanzhou costs roughly 55% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quanzhou is 40% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ¥201

$68.4 ₩91.6K

-56.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ¥43.35

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-14.06%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ¥21.82

$4.23 ₩5,664

-22.93%

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

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.63 ₩2,182

-41.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.74 ₩992

-63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ¥19.70

$3.64 ₩4,878

-18.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$6.15 ₩8,233

-71.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$2.01 ₩2,698

-27.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$3.13 ₩4,194

-72.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$4.32 ₩5,785

-78.47%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.27

$3.61 ₩4,828

-57.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥51.4

$17.83 ₩23.9K

-56.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.36

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-77.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ¥34.25

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-80.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-80.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$3.38 ₩4,531

-70.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$5.81 ₩7,778

-87.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$6.41 ₩8,580

-83.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.11

$3.75 ₩5,018

-87.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.00

$2.54 ₩3,400

-58.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.16 ¥1.09

$2.84 ₩3,809

-94.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.11 ₩1,483

-56.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.08

$3.35 ₩4,487

-5.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$2.40 ₩3,208

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$3.37 ₩4,512

-59.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.14 ₩1,531

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.44 ¥157

$46.11 ₩61.7K

-49.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$3.49 ₩4,677

-65.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.63 ₩846

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ¥60.3

$8.86 ₩11.9K

1.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.51 ₩2,020

-17.22%

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

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-39.90%

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

$15.7K ¥104.9K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-44.38%

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

$52.8 ¥353

$218 ₩291.3K

-75.74%

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

$7.95 ¥53.2

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-77.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.15 ¥81.3

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-42.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥364

$58.1 ₩77.8K

-6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.63 ¥125

$16.10 ₩21.6K

15.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.83 ¥38.96

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-48.45%

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

$514 ¥3,438

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-73.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥79.0K

$22.9K ₩30.6M

-48.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.64 ¥138

$57.0 ₩76.4K

-63.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.07 ¥228

$33.39 ₩44.7K

2.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ¥620

$71.5 ₩95.7K

29.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥646

$82.5 ₩110.5K

16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,851

$901 ₩1.2M

-69.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,027

$612 ₩819.3K

-50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ¥3,362

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 ¥2,743

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-67.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ¥20.1K

$29.4K ₩39.4M

-89.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-83.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$829 ¥5,545

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-77.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

4.08

-22.79%

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

Last update for Quanzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$303 37.2%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 102% $309

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.8%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 249% $340

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$110 13.5%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 0.2% $0.2

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$99 12.2%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 85% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$73 8.9%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 276% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$66 8.1%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 22.1% $15

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.4%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 107% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Quanzhou and $901 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 340% 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 Quanzhou vs $68.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $137 vs $477 per month, with Quanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h ahead of Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quanzhou Seoul 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Quanzhou
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

Quanzhou vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quanzhou and Seoul differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($815 vs $1,794 including rent). Quanzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 340% 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: $277 in Quanzhou versus $901 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quanzhou – 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.

All in, you'll spend $815 per month in Quanzhou versus $1,794 in Seoul – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $815 in Quanzhou versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou 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, Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.