Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rui'an and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $715 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
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Rui'an Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $715 in Rui'an versus $1,822 in Seoul.

Rui'an $715
Seoul $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Rui'an versus $2,847 in Seoul.

Rui'an $1,141
Seoul $2,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,566 in Rui'an versus $3,872 in Seoul.

Rui'an $1,566
Seoul $3,872

Living in Rui'an costs roughly 61% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rui'an is 47% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-68.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.28 ¥142

$67.0 ₩89.4K

-68.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 ¥32.00

$7.42 ₩9,900

-35.44%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.85

$4.08 ₩5,448

-27.21%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$1.60 ₩2,132

-72.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.80 ₩1,074

-66.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.85

$3.65 ₩4,867

-75.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.61

$5.94 ₩7,924

-65.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.53

$2.05 ₩2,731

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.77

$3.08 ₩4,113

-47.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.41

$4.21 ₩5,623

-77.20%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.32

$3.57 ₩4,765

-56.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 ¥86.1

$17.95 ₩24.0K

-28.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥20.72

$10.64 ₩14.2K

-70.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.28 ¥68.7

$26.44 ₩35.3K

-61.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$7.42 ₩9,906

-75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$3.53 ₩4,713

-66.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.95

$5.87 ₩7,834

-74.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$6.37 ₩8,500

-82.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$3.75 ₩5,008

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.49 ₩3,323

-64.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.77

$2.92 ₩3,895

-80.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.15 ₩1,535

-56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ¥20.85

$3.29 ₩4,390

-5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$18.49 ₩24.7K

-42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$2.28 ₩3,044

-67.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.57

$3.28 ₩4,380

-51.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.14 ₩1,519

-76.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.92 ¥113

$45.47 ₩60.7K

-62.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$3.48 ₩4,644

-59.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.60 ₩800

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ¥44.88

$8.70 ₩11.6K

-22.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.56

$1.50 ₩1,996

-24.67%

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

$19.7K ¥132.0K

$29.1K ₩38.9M

-32.18%

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

$17.4K ¥116.0K

$28.2K ₩37.6M

-38.43%

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

$45.23 ¥302

$209 ₩278.8K

-78.35%

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

$9.67 ¥64.6

$35.13 ₩46.9K

-72.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.80 ¥78.9

$21.18 ₩28.3K

-44.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.87 ¥280

$57.3 ₩76.5K

-26.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.75 ¥91.9

$15.89 ₩21.2K

-13.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 ¥38.46

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-49.16%

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

$329 ¥2,199

$1,902 ₩2.5M

-82.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ¥110.7K

$22.5K ₩30.1M

-26.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.49 ¥291

$58.9 ₩78.6K

-26.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.24 ¥202

$32.12 ₩42.9K

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$70.1 ₩93.6K

2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 ¥485

$82.5 ₩110.1K

-12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,874

$885 ₩1.2M

-68.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,301

$624 ₩832.2K

-68.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 ¥3,941

$2,494 ₩3.3M

-76.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,364

$1,275 ₩1.7M

-72.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,050 ¥20.4K

$29.8K ₩39.8M

-89.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,998 ¥13.3K

$11.8K ₩15.8M

-83.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

4.08

-4.66%

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

Last update for Rui'an: October 5, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rui'an

$198 27.6%

Seoul

$479 26.7% 142% $281

Accommodation & Living

Rui'an

$195 27.2%

Seoul

$624 34.7% 220% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Rui'an

$98 13.7%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 11.6% $11

Eating Out

Rui'an

$84 11.8%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 118% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rui'an

$67 9.3%

Seoul

$265 14.8% 298% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Rui'an

$53 7.5%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 49.9% $27

Getting Around

Rui'an

$21 3%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 167% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Rui'an and $885 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Rui'an vs $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $479 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Rui'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,600

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 = 7.49 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Rui'an Seoul 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rui'an
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

Rui'an vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rui'an wins on cost – living expenses run 155% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rui'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,072 in Rui'an and $2,733 in Seoul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $280 in Rui'an versus $885 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rui'an – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $715 per month in Rui'an versus $1,822 in Seoul – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $715 in Rui'an versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an 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, Rui'an 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 Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.