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

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 82.3% more expensive than Beijing (Pekin) without rent, and 68.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 84.1% more expensive than Beijing (Pekin) without rent, and 60.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.87 ₩13.0K
$4.09 ¥27.96
116.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.8 ₩82.1K
$28.09 ¥192
98.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.39 ₩9,399
$5.36 ¥36.62
19.22%
Cappuccino
$3.80 ₩5,592
$3.05 ¥20.81
24.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₩2,454
$0.46 ¥3.14
263.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₩1,190
$0.30 ¥2.05
170.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.61 ₩5,316
$1.13 ¥7.70
219.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₩8,697
$2.12 ¥14.46
178.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₩3,177
$1.71 ¥11.71
26.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.43 ₩5,049
$1.65 ¥11.27
107.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 ₩4,805
$1.12 ¥7.64
191.96%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,689
$1.67 ¥11.39
91.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.41 ₩21.2K
$15.67 ¥107
-8.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.69 ₩15.7K
$3.22 ¥21.99
231.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.03 ₩50.0K
$9.64 ¥65.9
253.01%
Apples (1kg)
$7.87 ₩11.6K
$2.10 ¥14.35
274.76%
Banana (1kg)
$3.55 ₩5,222
$1.59 ¥10.89
123.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,126
$1.80 ¥12.27
207.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.63 ₩9,752
$1.34 ¥9.13
394.78%
Potato (1kg)
$3.86 ₩5,675
$0.85 ¥5.79
354.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,337
$0.90 ¥6.17
227.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.63 ₩3,874
$0.72 ¥4.90
265.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,935
$0.57 ¥3.87
131.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ₩4,989
$3.58 ¥24.42
-5.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.46 ₩28.6K
$10.60 ¥72.4
83.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 ₩3,608
$0.85 ¥5.82
188.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 ₩4,777
$1.74 ¥11.88
86.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₩1,641
$0.59 ¥4.01
89.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.79 ₩68.8K
$31.30 ¥214
49.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.50 ₩5,148
$1.80 ¥12.26
94.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₩835
$0.35 ¥2.40
62.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.01 ₩13.3K
$10.34 ¥70.6
-12.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ₩1,772
$1.14 ¥7.78
5.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K ₩40.6M
$18.8K ¥128.4K
47.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K ₩37.3M
$15.8K ¥107.9K
60.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 ₩240.6K
$51.2 ¥350
219.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.58 ₩50.9K
$9.00 ¥61.5
284.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.01 ₩32.4K
$12.44 ¥84.9
76.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 ₩85.5K
$49.97 ¥341
16.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.08 ₩33.9K
$18.24 ¥125
26.54%
Cinema Ticket
$10.89 ₩16.0K
$8.51 ¥58.1
27.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$410 ₩602.5K
$683 ¥4,665
-40.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K ₩35.1M
$23.8K ¥162.9K
0.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 ₩87.6K
$61.5 ¥420
-3.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.19 ₩69.4K
$34.26 ¥234
37.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ₩117.4K
$77.7 ¥531
2.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ₩171.9K
$102 ¥695
14.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ₩1.4M
$914 ¥6,242
4.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 ₩878.9K
$458 ¥3,129
30.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,515 ₩3.7M
$1,918 ¥13.1K
31.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,296 ₩1.9M
$1,085 ¥7,409
19.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K ₩26.9M
$12.1K ¥82.7K
50.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,948 ₩14.6M
$6,141 ¥41.9K
62.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Beijing (Pekin)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,041 ₩4.5M
$1,581 ¥10.8K
92.34%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): April 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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