Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $734 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $734 in Chengdu, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Chengdu $734

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,211 in Chengdu, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Chengdu $1,211

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,688 in Chengdu, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Chengdu $1,688

Seoul costs about 148% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Chengdu is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.86 ¥19.11

218.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$22.31 ¥149

200.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.89 ¥32.71

51.74%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.99 ¥19.96

36.45%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.51 ¥3.40

213.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.28 ¥1.89

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.46 ¥9.74

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.18 ¥14.55

172.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.84 ¥12.28

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.55 ¥10.36

98.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.98 ¥6.58

329.59%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.57 ¥10.47

127.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$14.17 ¥94.7

26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.71 ¥24.76

186.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$11.12 ¥74.3

137.77%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.87 ¥12.52

296.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.31 ¥8.73

169.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.10 ¥7.34

433.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.14 ¥7.59

458.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.75 ¥5.03

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.68 ¥4.56

266.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.63 ¥4.19

363.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.55 ¥3.66

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$3.83 ¥25.59

-14.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$4.60 ¥30.71

301.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$0.82 ¥5.45

178.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.46 ¥9.77

124.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.44 ¥2.93

159.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$24.70 ¥165

84.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.36 ¥9.09

155.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.31 ¥2.09

93.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$4.38 ¥29.26

98.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.30 ¥8.69

15.38%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

49.02%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

65.16%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$47.43 ¥317

340.38%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$9.39 ¥62.8

274.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$12.51 ¥83.6

69.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$27.41 ¥183

109.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$11.30 ¥75.5

40.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.14 ¥41.05

84.53%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$376 ¥2,516

405.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$14.9K ¥99.8K

50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$25.02 ¥167

135.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$28.00 ¥187

14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$57.3 ¥383

22.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$52.7 ¥352

56.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$471 ¥3,145

88.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$257 ¥1,716

142.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$819 ¥5,472

204.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$536 ¥3,580

137.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$3,708 ¥24.8K

704.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,928 ¥12.9K

514.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,277 ¥8,531

185.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.38

20.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Chengdu

$257 34.2% 58.8% $367

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Chengdu

$195 25.9% 59.4% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Chengdu

$69 9.2% 73.9% $196

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Chengdu

$88 11.7% 52% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Chengdu

$73 9.8% 33.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Chengdu

$40 5.3% 50.4% $40

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 48% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $471 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 186% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

20,937,757

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seoul Chengdu 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,822 in Seoul, $734 in Chengdu – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,101 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,822 in Seoul and $734 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 148%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.