Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Chuzhou
Learn more

Chuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Chuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $685 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Chuzhou $685

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,120 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Chuzhou $1,120

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $1,555 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Chuzhou $1,555

Seoul costs about 170% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Chuzhou is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$2.28 ¥15.15

296.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$22.28 ¥148

206.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$4.76 ¥31.65

54.41%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$2.30 ¥15.31

79.13%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.53 ¥3.54

209.43%

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

$0.44 ¥2.90

743.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$1.54 ¥10.23

298.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.54 ¥10.28

32.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$2.07 ¥13.75

55.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$0.84 ¥5.57

422.62%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.32 ¥8.80

171.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$10.57 ¥70.3

72.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$3.03 ¥20.15

246.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$9.07 ¥60.4

196.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$2.09 ¥13.88

276.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.26 ¥8.36

180.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$1.71 ¥11.39

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.07 ¥7.15

477.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$0.90 ¥5.96

317.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$0.97 ¥6.47

158.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$0.89 ¥5.92

216.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.52 ¥3.46

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.83 ¥25.51

-13.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$13.28 ¥88.4

40.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$0.95 ¥6.31

154.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$1.55 ¥10.34

116.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.31 ¥2.08

283.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$19.20 ¥128

140.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$1.75 ¥11.66

102.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.41 ¥2.75

46.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$9.09 ¥60.5

-0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.32 ¥8.77

9.09%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$19.3K ¥128.5K

56.71%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$17.4K ¥115.5K

66.52%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$55.5 ¥369

282.87%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$7.88 ¥52.4

354.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$7.28 ¥48.43

193.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$43.09 ¥287

43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$16.05 ¥107

2.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$6.07 ¥40.41

88.14%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$441 ¥2,932

342.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$22.8K ¥151.9K

-0.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$43.42 ¥289

37.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$34.55 ¥230

-1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$64.8 ¥431

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$87.6 ¥583

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$253 ¥1,683

265.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$165 ¥1,095

300.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$606 ¥4,032

397.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$376 ¥2,503

282.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$3,018 ¥20.1K

800.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$1,996 ¥13.3K

465.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.42

19.30%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Chuzhou

$165 24% 75% $495

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Chuzhou

$198 28.9% 59.1% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Chuzhou

$71 10.3% 73.8% $199

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Chuzhou

$69 10% 62.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Chuzhou

$104 15.1% 4.7% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Chuzhou

$55 8.1% 34.6% $29

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Chuzhou

$24 3.5% 57.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $253 in Chuzhou. 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 Chuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $198 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,987,054

💱 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 = 1,495 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 Chuzhou 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Chuzhou

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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 170% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,027 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $924 in Seoul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul and $22 in Chuzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $685 in Chuzhou. That’s a gap of about 170%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 170% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.