Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

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

$1,822

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/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 $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Beijing (Pekin) $1,178

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,895 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Beijing (Pekin) $1,895

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $2,612 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Beijing (Pekin) $2,612

Seoul costs about 55% 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

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$4.54 ¥30.34

100.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$29.25 ¥196

129.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.32 ¥35.54

39.47%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.52 ¥23.53

15.91%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.53 ¥3.56

201.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.28 ¥1.87

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.22 ¥8.17

199.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$1.67 ¥11.13

255.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.67 ¥11.14

22.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.77 ¥11.80

74.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.29 ¥8.61

226.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.04 ¥13.65

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$14.52 ¥97.0

23.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.21 ¥21.43

231.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$11.23 ¥75.1

135.44%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.09 ¥13.94

255.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.72 ¥11.50

105.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.01 ¥13.42

192.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.55 ¥10.36

310.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.67 ¥4.51

459.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.85 ¥5.69

192.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.74 ¥4.96

294.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.62 ¥4.13

85.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.42 ¥29.52

-25.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$13.84 ¥92.5

33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.03 ¥6.87

121.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.81 ¥12.09

81.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.64 ¥4.30

78.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$34.88 ¥233

30.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.98 ¥13.23

75.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.35 ¥2.34

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$7.65 ¥51.1

13.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.27 ¥8.50

18.11%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

48.61%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$18.1K ¥121.2K

55.49%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$59.0 ¥394

254.02%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$8.94 ¥59.8

292.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$14.15 ¥94.6

49.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$40.77 ¥272

40.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$24.56 ¥164

-35.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$7.38 ¥49.29

53.52%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$650 ¥4,346

192.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$24.5K ¥163.5K

-7.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$70.4 ¥471

-16.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$40.51 ¥271

-20.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$87.6 ¥585

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$124 ¥829

-33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$933 ¥6,236

-5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$518 ¥3,463

20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$2,387 ¥16.0K

4.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$1,143 ¥7,642

11.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$12.6K ¥84.0K

137.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$6,393 ¥42.7K

85.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,710 ¥11.4K

113.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.21

27.10%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44% 16.9% $105

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4% 52.4% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7% 69% $183

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1% 41.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3% 32.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 30.6% $24

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 27.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 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 run about 113% 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $228 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

09:38 9:38 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 = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,768 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $67.0 in Seoul and $29.00 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 $1,822 in Seoul and $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 55%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.