Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chaozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Seoul $1,804
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Seoul $2,877
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Seoul $3,950
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Seoul is roughly 181% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Chaozhou is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.26 ¥15.10

302.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$23.63 ¥158

182.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$3.54 ¥23.65

111.58%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$1.52 ¥10.18

175.66%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.49 ¥3.29

216.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.29 ¥1.93

172.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.17 ¥7.83

211.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.87 ¥19.20

113.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.52 ¥10.19

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.48 ¥9.88

106.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.73 ¥4.87

476.71%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.16 ¥7.74

205.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$9.61 ¥64.2

87.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.52 ¥16.85

310.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$11.99 ¥80.1

120.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.20 ¥14.74

259.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$0.94 ¥6.29

265.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$0.92 ¥6.16

513.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.76 ¥11.77

264.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.62 ¥4.15

498.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.47 ¥3.15

436.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.43 ¥2.88

567.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.31 ¥2.08

274.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$2.95 ¥19.76

14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.03 ¥73.8

69.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.72 ¥4.84

216.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.17 ¥7.84

182.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.29 ¥1.92

289.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$18.02 ¥121

159.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.00 ¥6.71

252.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.03 ¥47.02

24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.24 ¥8.26

16.94%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

53.04%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.7K ¥118.1K

59.63%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$43.79 ¥293

381.53%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$4.32 ¥28.86

718.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.32 ¥75.7

81.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.24 ¥276

39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.04 ¥101

7.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.36 ¥42.53

78.77%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$483 ¥3,231

307.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$24.7K ¥165.0K

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$13.41 ¥89.7

328.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$28.46 ¥190

16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$88.1 ¥589

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$60.0 ¥401

40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$300 ¥2,003

193.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$179 ¥1,200

247.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$624 ¥4,169

302.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$376 ¥2,513

242.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,524 ¥23.6K

761.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,951 ¥13.0K

509.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$490 ¥3,279

633.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.46

17.92%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 71.2% $445

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 62.4% $299

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 77.7% $207

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 66.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 22.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 32.9% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 62.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 634% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,568,387

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Chaozhou 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Chaozhou differ by about 181% in total monthly costs ($1,804 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 634% 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: $878 in Seoul versus $300 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 166% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.