Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Bozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Bozhou: $678 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bozhou
Learn more

Bozhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Bozhou

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Bozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $678 in Bozhou.

Seoul $1,794
Bozhou $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,083 in Bozhou.

Seoul $2,863
Bozhou $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,487 in Bozhou.

Seoul $3,931
Bozhou $1,487

Living in Seoul is roughly 165% more expensive than in Bozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Bozhou is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.51 ¥10.12

482.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$22.71 ¥152

201.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.37 ¥29.23

72.54%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.68 ¥17.89

57.84%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.39 ¥2.60

317.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.27 ¥1.79

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.02 ¥6.85

256.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.84 ¥12.31

234.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.23 ¥8.20

63.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.06 ¥13.78

51.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.44 ¥2.93

881.82%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$0.92 ¥6.16

292.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$14.11 ¥94.3

26.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.18 ¥14.60

379.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.63 ¥71.1

142.71%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.21 ¥8.12

533.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.06 ¥7.09

218.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$0.74 ¥4.95

685.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$0.73 ¥4.87

778.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.46 ¥3.09

715.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.59 ¥3.94

330.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.58 ¥3.87

389.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.62 ¥4.16

79.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.04 ¥20.30

10.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$11.81 ¥79.0

56.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.94 ¥6.28

155.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.21 ¥8.11

178.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$17.25 ¥115

167.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.04 ¥6.93

235.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.33 ¥2.19

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$3.52 ¥23.53

151.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.10 ¥7.35

37.27%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

49.21%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$16.7K ¥111.5K

69.13%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$48.90 ¥327

344.83%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.26 ¥28.47

725.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$7.26 ¥48.54

193.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$39.29 ¥263

47.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$14.76 ¥98.7

9.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$3.70 ¥24.72

205.68%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$244 ¥1,631

698.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,547 ¥57.1K

167.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$45.42 ¥304

25.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$32.95 ¥220

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$64.5 ¥431

10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$74.9 ¥501

10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$309 ¥2,064

191.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$197 ¥1,320

209.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$551 ¥3,681

358.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$387 ¥2,590

226.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,746 ¥25.0K

685.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,918 ¥12.8K

520.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$748 ¥4,999

388.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.15

29.52%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bozhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Bozhou

$197 29.1% 67.7% $414

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Bozhou

$186 27.4% 61.1% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Bozhou

$60 8.9% 77.9% $214

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Bozhou

$69 10.1% 62.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Bozhou

$98 14.5% 10.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Bozhou

$47 6.9% 42.1% $34

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Bozhou

$21 3.1% 63.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $309 in Bozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 388% 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 $23.00 in Bozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $186 per month, with Bozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Bozhou

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,537,231

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Bozhou 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Bozhou

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 Bozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bozhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 165% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 388% 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 $309 in Bozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bozhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $678 in Bozhou – a 165% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $678 in Bozhou versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bozhou but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Bozhou 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 Bozhou 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 Bozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 165% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.