Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Beijing (Pekin) Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Beijing (Pekin)

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 79.5% more expensive than Beijing (Pekin) without rent, and 64.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 86.2% more expensive than Beijing (Pekin) without rent, and 57.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 ₩12.7K
$4.19 ¥28.98
104.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 ₩82.1K
$27.90 ¥193
99.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.25 ₩9,229
$5.34 ¥36.89
17.04%
Cappuccino
$3.81 ₩5,630
$3.22 ¥22.28
18.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₩2,453
$0.46 ¥3.17
260.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,229
$0.28 ¥1.92
196.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 ₩5,576
$1.10 ¥7.60
243.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 ₩8,492
$2.04 ¥14.13
181.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ₩3,217
$1.74 ¥12.05
25.29%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 ₩5,113
$1.60 ¥11.02
116.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,736
$1.08 ¥7.43
197.22%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,709
$1.67 ¥11.56
91.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 ₩21.2K
$16.05 ¥111
-10.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.89 ₩16.1K
$3.15 ¥21.79
245.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.35 ₩50.7K
$9.46 ¥65.3
263.11%
Apples (1kg)
$7.95 ₩11.7K
$2.14 ¥14.78
271.50%
Banana (1kg)
$3.60 ₩5,323
$1.58 ¥10.91
127.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,164
$1.74 ¥12.03
217.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.67 ₩9,852
$1.28 ¥8.83
421.09%
Potato (1kg)
$3.96 ₩5,847
$0.79 ¥5.44
401.27%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,361
$0.92 ¥6.39
220.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 ₩3,747
$0.67 ¥4.64
279.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₩1,896
$0.56 ¥3.90
128.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,858
$3.53 ¥24.37
-6.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.17 ₩29.8K
$9.16 ¥63.3
120.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,575
$0.81 ¥5.58
198.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,984
$1.84 ¥12.72
83.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₩1,578
$0.54 ¥3.72
98.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.79 ₩70.6K
$30.94 ¥214
54.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 ₩5,156
$1.78 ¥12.29
96.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 ₩797
$0.35 ¥2.44
54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 ₩13.4K
$10.62 ¥73.4
-14.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ₩1,764
$1.14 ¥7.87
4.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K ₩41.0M
$18.6K ¥128.6K
49.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ₩36.7M
$15.9K ¥109.6K
56.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ₩241.1K
$51.4 ¥355
217.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.22 ₩52.0K
$8.91 ¥61.6
295.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.55 ₩33.3K
$12.72 ¥87.9
77.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 ₩84.5K
$49.38 ¥341
15.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.27 ₩34.4K
$17.96 ¥124
29.57%
Cinema Ticket
$11.11 ₩16.4K
$8.26 ¥57.1
34.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 ₩599.9K
$684 ¥4,729
-40.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$23.4K ¥161.6K
-1.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 ₩87.2K
$61.1 ¥422
-3.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.26 ₩69.8K
$35.09 ¥243
34.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.2 ₩115.5K
$79.1 ¥546
-1.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₩171.3K
$99.0 ¥684
17.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$936 ₩1.4M
$893 ¥6,171
4.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$584 ₩861.9K
$448 ¥3,098
30.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,602 ₩3.8M
$1,946 ¥13.4K
33.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,340 ₩2.0M
$1,095 ¥7,567
22.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$12.6K ¥87.1K
83.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.8K ₩17.4M
$6,295 ¥43.5K
87.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,136 ₩4.6M
$1,553 ¥10.7K
101.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
3.64
13.74%

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

Last update for Seoul: March 2, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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