Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
Learn more

Chenzhou Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chenzhou

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Chenzhou $1,674

Seoul costs about 156% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Chenzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$3.03 ¥20.15

198.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$22.13 ¥147

208.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$4.86 ¥32.33

51.23%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$1.54 ¥10.24

167.53%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.51 ¥3.41

221.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.27 ¥1.80

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$1.29 ¥8.58

187.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$1.89 ¥12.59

224.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.97 ¥13.09

3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$2.38 ¥15.83

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$0.79 ¥5.23

455.70%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.72 ¥11.46

108.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$13.15 ¥87.5

38.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$4.13 ¥27.47

154.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$11.57 ¥77.0

132.41%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$0.59 ¥3.92

1232.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.18 ¥7.82

199.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$0.73 ¥4.87

680.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.19 ¥7.89

419.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$0.97 ¥6.49

287.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$1.54 ¥10.24

62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$0.61 ¥4.04

362.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.49 ¥3.23

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.02 ¥20.08

9.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$12.71 ¥84.6

46.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.04 ¥6.91

132.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$1.57 ¥10.45

114.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.31 ¥2.05

283.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$15.40 ¥103

199.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$1.52 ¥10.09

133.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.29 ¥1.93

106.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$4.60 ¥30.59

97.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.29 ¥8.59

11.63%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$19.3K ¥128.3K

56.93%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$17.4K ¥115.6K

66.29%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$56.3 ¥375

277.36%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$8.94 ¥59.5

300.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$11.27 ¥75.0

89.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$42.59 ¥283

44.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$14.67 ¥97.6

11.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$6.48 ¥43.13

76.23%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$329 ¥2,188

492.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$16.9K ¥112.3K

34.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$84.2 ¥561

-29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$35.01 ¥233

-2.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$89.1 ¥593

-25.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$58.9 ¥392

39.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$310 ¥2,061

198.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$163 ¥1,086

304.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$584 ¥3,885

415.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$414 ¥2,753

248.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$3,531 ¥23.5K

669.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$1,917 ¥12.8K

489.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

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 26, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 75.2% $496

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 55.5% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 71.6% $193

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 61.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 10.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 34.2% $29

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 65.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $215 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

00:19 12:19 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,667,134

💱 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 = 1,494 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Chenzhou 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Chenzhou

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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Seoul, $721 in Chenzhou – roughly 156% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,081 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 156% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.