Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 97.5% more expensive than China without rent, and 132.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 104% more expensive than China without rent, and 121% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.90 ¥19.39

213.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$22.02 ¥147

204.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.20 ¥34.74

42.69%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.04 ¥20.31

34.21%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.52 ¥3.45

207.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.28 ¥1.85

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.01 ¥6.75

261.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.19 ¥14.64

171.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.75 ¥11.71

17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.64 ¥10.96

87.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.92 ¥6.12

357.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.59 ¥10.66

124.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$12.99 ¥86.8

38.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.35 ¥22.38

217.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$11.18 ¥74.7

136.49%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.80 ¥12.02

312.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.31 ¥8.78

169.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.47 ¥9.80

299.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.32 ¥8.79

382.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.76 ¥5.07

393.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.92 ¥6.15

170.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.59 ¥3.94

394.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.54 ¥3.63

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$3.79 ¥25.34

-13.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.14 ¥81.1

52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$0.82 ¥5.48

178.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.63 ¥10.92

101.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.29 ¥1.93

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$22.33 ¥149

103.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.53 ¥10.24

127.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.35 ¥2.31

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$7.00 ¥46.79

24.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.31 ¥8.77

14.50%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.0K ¥127.1K

53.07%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.0K ¥113.7K

65.68%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$54.1 ¥362

285.87%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$8.42 ¥56.3

317.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$10.72 ¥71.6

97.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$40.72 ¥272

40.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$14.58 ¥97.4

8.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.76 ¥45.15

67.60%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$462 ¥3,089

311.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$19.6K ¥131.0K

14.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$45.57 ¥305

29.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$36.05 ¥241

-10.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$75.4 ¥504

-6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$79.0 ¥528

4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$386 ¥2,577

129.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$240 ¥1,601

160.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$843 ¥5,637

195.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$461 ¥3,083

176.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$4,590 ¥30.7K

550.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$2,279 ¥15.2K

419.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,060 ¥7,082

244.36%

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 4, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

China

$240 30.1% 61.6% $384

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

China

$207 26.1% 56.8% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

China

$73 9.2% 72.4% $192

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

China

$88 11.1% 52.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

China

$106 13.4% 3.1% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

China

$54 6.8% 32.2% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

China

$27 3.4% 52.7% $30

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,442,965,000

💱 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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Seoul China 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 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.

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