Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Anqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $643 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anqing
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Anqing Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Anqing

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seoul and in Anqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $643 in Anqing, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Anqing $643

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,005 in Anqing, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Anqing $1,005

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,368 in Anqing, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Anqing $1,368

Seoul costs about 179% more than Anqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Anqing is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.68 ¥17.94

228.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.7K

$19.93 ¥133

243.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$5.87 ¥39.20

28.45%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,673

$2.14 ¥14.27

97.66%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$0.43 ¥2.88

279.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩993

$0.21 ¥1.40

252.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$1.04 ¥6.94

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,245

$1.36 ¥9.07

352.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$0.98 ¥6.54

105.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,200

$1.51 ¥10.09

107.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,793

$1.01 ¥6.71

327.72%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,835

$0.88 ¥5.90

310.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$13.30 ¥88.9

34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.62 ¥24.21

188.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$11.67 ¥78.0

121.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$2.19 ¥14.65

249.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,537

$1.26 ¥8.39

168.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,790

$1.46 ¥9.77

297.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,593

$1.14 ¥7.61

462.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,026

$0.78 ¥5.23

380.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,405

$0.82 ¥5.51

209.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,815

$0.38 ¥2.51

647.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,485

$0.38 ¥2.55

192.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,493

$6.57 ¥43.87

-49.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$11.83 ¥79.1

56.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,213

$0.74 ¥4.93

224.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,518

$1.50 ¥10.06

124.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,534

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,683

$0.93 ¥6.21

275.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩847

$0.24 ¥1.60

162.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$3.00 ¥20.08

195.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.23 ¥8.23

22.76%

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

$29.3K ₩39.3M

$19.5K ¥130.4K

49.94%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$16.6K ¥110.6K

70.38%

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

$218 ₩291.7K

$57.8 ¥386

276.59%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$8.67 ¥57.9

305.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$8.71 ¥58.2

144.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.9K

$75.3 ¥503

-22.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$15.11 ¥101

6.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.2K

$5.25 ¥35.08

115.43%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$221 ¥1,475

782.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.7M

$11.8K ¥79.1K

93.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$25.01 ¥167

128.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.8K

$21.19 ¥142

57.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.9K

$78.2 ¥523

-8.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.7K

$34.17 ¥228

141.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$193 ¥1,288

367.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩820.5K

$137 ¥916

346.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$357 ¥2,383

608.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$238 ¥1,591

431.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.5M

$13.1K ¥87.6K

124.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩16.0M

$6,480 ¥43.3K

83.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$775 ¥5,175

371.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

36.00%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Anqing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Anqing

$137 21.3% 77.6% $475

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Anqing

$196 30.5% 58.9% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 72.6% $199

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 59.1% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Anqing

$71 11.1% 35.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Anqing

$86 13.4% 6.4% $5.1

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3% 96.3% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $193 in Anqing. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 371% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $20.00 in Anqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $196 – making Anqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Anqing

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,165,284

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Anqing 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Seoul vs Anqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $643 in Anqing – roughly 179% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $964 in Anqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Anqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $20.00 in Anqing. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 143% 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 Anqing, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Anqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Anqing – 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 Anqing. 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.