Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,197 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Beijing (Pekin) $1,197

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,913 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Beijing (Pekin) $1,913

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $2,630 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Beijing (Pekin) $2,630

Seoul costs about 54% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Beijing (Pekin) is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$4.42 ¥29.39

104.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$29.66 ¥197

130.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$5.37 ¥35.76

36.87%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$3.73 ¥24.81

10.46%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.56 ¥3.71

192.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.29 ¥1.94

179.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$1.19 ¥7.91

211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$1.73 ¥11.55

254.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.72 ¥11.43

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$1.77 ¥11.80

81.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$1.29 ¥8.62

240.31%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.91 ¥12.74

87.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$14.70 ¥97.8

24.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$3.22 ¥21.46

226.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$11.23 ¥74.7

139.45%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$2.13 ¥14.15

269.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.79 ¥11.89

97.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$2.05 ¥13.62

178.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.53 ¥10.19

303.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$0.74 ¥4.89

408.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$0.92 ¥6.15

172.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$0.69 ¥4.60

308.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.61 ¥4.04

81.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$4.44 ¥29.57

-25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$14.00 ¥93.2

33.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.03 ¥6.84

134.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$1.80 ¥12.01

86.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.59 ¥3.89

101.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$32.53 ¥216

41.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$2.00 ¥13.33

77.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.33 ¥2.19

81.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$7.68 ¥51.1

18.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.30 ¥8.64

10.77%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$19.7K ¥131.4K

53.33%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$18.0K ¥119.8K

60.51%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$58.8 ¥392

261.20%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$8.71 ¥58.0

311.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$14.51 ¥96.6

47.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$46.71 ¥311

31.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$24.48 ¥163

-32.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$7.60 ¥50.6

50.26%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$985 ¥6,556

97.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$24.5K ¥163.2K

-7.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$72.1 ¥480

-17.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$40.22 ¥268

-14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$86.8 ¥577

-23.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$126 ¥839

-35.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$933 ¥6,209

-0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$530 ¥3,524

24.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$2,279 ¥15.2K

32.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,096 ¥7,293

31.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$11.8K ¥78.6K

130.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$6,566 ¥43.7K

72.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$1,707 ¥11.4K

109.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.12

30.77%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2% 19.7% $130

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2% 52.5% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 69.6% $188

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1% 40.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2% 34.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 26.7% $23

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2% 33% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Seoul are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $230 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Beijing (Pekin) 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,796 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $924 in Seoul and $933 in Beijing (Pekin). The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul and $30 in Beijing (Pekin). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin). That makes Beijing (Pekin) about 35% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,197, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Beijing (Pekin). If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.