Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Baoji

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $756 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Baoji

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 Baoji actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $756 in Baoji.

Seoul $1,794
Baoji $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,139 in Baoji.

Seoul $2,863
Baoji $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,521 in Baoji.

Seoul $3,931
Baoji $1,521

Living in Seoul is roughly 137% more expensive than in Baoji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.74 ¥18.33

221.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$11.92 ¥79.7

473.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$4.46 ¥29.83

69.06%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$2.17 ¥14.54

94.93%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.29 ¥1.92

462.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.27 ¥1.80

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$1.45 ¥9.72

151.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.46 ¥9.80

321.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.48 ¥9.88

35.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.75 ¥11.71

78.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.91 ¥6.08

374.73%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$0.86 ¥5.74

319.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$11.71 ¥78.3

52.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.96 ¥26.51

163.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$10.58 ¥70.7

143.86%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.67 ¥11.17

358.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.11 ¥7.44

204.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.24 ¥8.28

368.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.27 ¥8.52

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.63 ¥4.23

495.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$0.70 ¥4.68

262.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.62 ¥4.17

358.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.54 ¥3.64

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.44 ¥23.00

-2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$9.75 ¥65.2

89.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.76 ¥5.10

215.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.75 ¥11.73

92.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.29 ¥1.95

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$16.56 ¥111

178.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.29 ¥8.62

170.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.29 ¥1.92

117.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$4.52 ¥30.19

96.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.37 ¥9.16

10.22%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.3K ¥129.4K

51.29%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.5K ¥117.1K

61.15%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$90.2 ¥603

141.15%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$6.31 ¥42.18

457.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$10.84 ¥72.5

96.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$46.46 ¥311

24.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$13.18 ¥88.1

22.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.81 ¥38.82

94.66%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$701 ¥4,686

177.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$17.5K ¥117.2K

30.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$39.43 ¥264

44.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$37.67 ¥252

-11.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$74.2 ¥496

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$91.5 ¥612

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$278 ¥1,858

224.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$196 ¥1,311

212.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$629 ¥4,209

301.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$350 ¥2,337

262.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$3,178 ¥21.3K

825.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,815 ¥12.1K

555.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.35

21.79%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Baoji: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Baoji

$196 25.9% 68% $416

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Baoji

$192 25.3% 59.8% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Baoji

$107 14.2% 60.8% $167

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Baoji

$74 9.8% 59.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Baoji

$109 14.4% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Baoji

$58 7.7% 28% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Baoji

$20 2.7% 64.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $278 in Baoji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $12.00 in Baoji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $192 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Baoji

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,438,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Baoji 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Baoji

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 Baoji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,692 in Seoul and $1,135 in Baoji 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: $901 in Seoul versus $278 in Baoji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 178% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $701 in Baoji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $756 in Baoji versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji 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, Seoul and Baoji 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 Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.