Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Binzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $775 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Binzhou
Learn more

Binzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Binzhou

🇨🇳 China

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Binzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $775 in Binzhou.

Seoul $1,794
Binzhou $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,224 in Binzhou.

Seoul $2,863
Binzhou $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,672 in Binzhou.

Seoul $3,931
Binzhou $1,672

Living in Seoul is roughly 132% more expensive than in Binzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Binzhou is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.02 ¥20.20

191.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$17.67 ¥118

286.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.40 ¥29.44

71.36%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.69 ¥18.00

57.25%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.51 ¥3.39

219.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.30 ¥2.00

146.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.05 ¥7.03

246.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.55 ¥17.08

141.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.93 ¥12.91

4.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.36 ¥9.09

130.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$1.04 ¥6.94

315.38%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.30 ¥8.68

177.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$16.40 ¥110

8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.42 ¥29.55

136.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$9.53 ¥63.7

170.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.47 ¥9.80

421.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.20 ¥8.00

181.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.69 ¥11.33

243.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.30 ¥8.70

393.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.68 ¥4.57

451.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.97 ¥6.47

161.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.93 ¥6.24

205.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.61 ¥4.05

81.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.76 ¥25.15

-10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$14.72 ¥98.4

25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$1.03 ¥6.86

133.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.63 ¥10.91

106.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 ¥1.93

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$17.01 ¥114

171.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.04 ¥6.95

235.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.45 ¥2.99

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$8.82 ¥59.0

0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.27 ¥8.52

18.90%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

48.58%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$16.5K ¥110.4K

70.83%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$67.8 ¥453

220.73%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$6.88 ¥46.00

410.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$7.89 ¥52.7

169.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$41.59 ¥278

39.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$14.50 ¥97.0

11.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.67 ¥37.90

99.47%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$368 ¥2,462

428.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$17.8K ¥118.7K

28.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$52.2 ¥349

9.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$47.93 ¥320

-30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$93.8 ¥627

-23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$89.8 ¥600

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$296 ¥1,980

204.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$184 ¥1,232

231.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$624 ¥4,173

304.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$378 ¥2,529

234.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,388 ¥22.7K

768.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,677 ¥11.2K

609.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$567 ¥3,788

544.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.37

21.07%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Binzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Binzhou

$184 23.8% 69.9% $428

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Binzhou

$223 28.8% 53.3% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 69.9% $191

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 54.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Binzhou

$128 16.5% 16.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Binzhou

$53 6.8% 34.4% $28

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Binzhou

$21 2.8% 62.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $296 in Binzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 544% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $18.00 in Binzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $223 per month, with Binzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Binzhou

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,748,500

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Binzhou 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 544% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $296 in Binzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $368 in Binzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Binzhou versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binzhou but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Binzhou 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 Binzhou 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 Binzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.