Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,848 in Seoul versus $758 in Bortala.

Seoul $1,848
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Seoul versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Seoul $2,986
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Seoul versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Seoul $4,125
Bortala $1,577

Living in Seoul is roughly 144% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Bortala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$2.99 ¥19.88

202.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$22.84 ¥152

199.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$4.86 ¥32.33

51.23%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$2.79 ¥18.54

47.67%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.48 ¥3.18

241.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.32 ¥2.10

153.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$1.11 ¥7.39

234.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$2.16 ¥14.35

183.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.87 ¥12.46

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$1.59 ¥10.58

101.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$0.95 ¥6.30

362.11%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.60 ¥10.68

124.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$13.42 ¥89.3

35.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$3.36 ¥22.38

212.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$11.29 ¥75.1

138.18%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$1.89 ¥12.55

315.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.34 ¥8.89

163.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$1.51 ¥10.02

277.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.26 ¥8.36

390.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$0.75 ¥4.99

401.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$0.98 ¥6.50

156.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$0.59 ¥3.95

377.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.59 ¥3.90

88.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.71 ¥24.71

-11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$11.52 ¥76.7

61.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$0.88 ¥5.88

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$1.55 ¥10.31

116.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.28 ¥1.87

325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$15.99 ¥106

188.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$1.57 ¥10.47

126.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.32 ¥2.15

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$7.15 ¥47.60

26.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.17 ¥7.81

23.08%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

55.98%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$15.2K ¥101.0K

90.47%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$57.1 ¥380

272.08%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$8.48 ¥56.5

322.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$11.13 ¥74.1

92.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$41.95 ¥279

46.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$14.98 ¥99.7

9.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$6.53 ¥43.43

74.89%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$453 ¥3,016

329.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$19.3K ¥128.6K

17.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$42.79 ¥285

39.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$30.92 ¥206

10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$75.6 ¥503

-12.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$68.3 ¥455

19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$291 ¥1,934

217.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$214 ¥1,421

208.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$582 ¥3,874

417.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$343 ¥2,283

319.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$3,687 ¥24.5K

636.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$1,825 ¥12.1K

518.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

$625 ¥4,161

470.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 67.6% $446

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 56.6% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 71.6% $193

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 53.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 34.9% $29

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 64.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $924 in Seoul and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Seoul vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $210 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

246,706

💱 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 →

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Seoul Bortala 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Seoul is about 5.7 times higher, 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: $924 in Seoul versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,848 per month in Seoul versus $758 in Bortala – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 65% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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.

Expats usually find Bortala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.