Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $715 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chifeng

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $715 in Chifeng, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Chifeng $715

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,128 in Chifeng, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Chifeng $1,128

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,541 in Chifeng, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Chifeng $1,541

Seoul costs about 151% more than Chifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Chifeng is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.71 ¥18.15

224.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$21.54 ¥144

217.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.76 ¥31.82

58.40%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$3.09 ¥20.64

36.89%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.47 ¥3.15

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.27 ¥1.78

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.88 ¥5.87

313.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.05 ¥13.69

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.87 ¥12.48

7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.56 ¥10.43

100.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.92 ¥6.12

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.54 ¥10.33

134.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$12.67 ¥84.7

40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.21 ¥21.50

225.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.35 ¥69.2

149.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.82 ¥12.20

320.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.20 ¥8.02

181.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.53 ¥10.20

279.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.10 ¥7.33

482.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.73 ¥4.88

413.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.91 ¥6.11

179.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.59 ¥3.97

381.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.52 ¥3.45

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.19 ¥21.35

5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$10.65 ¥71.2

73.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.74 ¥4.93

224.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.61 ¥10.73

109.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 ¥1.95

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$16.64 ¥111

177.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.43 ¥9.54

144.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.33 ¥2.18

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.81 ¥45.56

30.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.16 ¥7.77

30.17%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

51.68%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.4K ¥116.3K

62.17%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$45.71 ¥306

375.87%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$9.66 ¥64.6

263.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.82 ¥79.1

80.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$42.23 ¥282

37.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$14.09 ¥94.2

14.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.84 ¥39.02

93.66%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$334 ¥2,234

482.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$16.8K ¥112.5K

35.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$43.39 ¥290

31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$30.07 ¥201

11.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$71.2 ¥476

0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$70.9 ¥474

16.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$275 ¥1,838

227.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$193 ¥1,293

216.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$599 ¥4,005

321.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$353 ¥2,362

258.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,029 ¥20.3K

871.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,994 ¥13.3K

496.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.89

4.88%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chifeng: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Chifeng

$193 27.1% 68.4% $418

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Chifeng

$198 27.7% 58.5% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Chifeng

$67 9.4% 75.5% $207

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Chifeng

$84 11.8% 54% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Chifeng

$97 13.6% 11.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Chifeng

$54 7.5% 33.2% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Chifeng

$21 2.9% 63.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $275 in Chifeng. 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $22.00 in Chifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $198 – making Chifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,175,391

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Seoul Chifeng 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Chifeng

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 Chifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,072 in Chifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, 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 $68.0 in Seoul and $22.00 in Chifeng. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $715 in Chifeng. That's a gap of about 151%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chifeng, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Chifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chifeng – 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 Chifeng. 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.