Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
Learn more

Cixi Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $725 in Cixi.

Seoul $1,822
Cixi $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,145 in Cixi.

Seoul $2,847
Cixi $1,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,564 in Cixi.

Seoul $3,872
Cixi $1,564

Living in Seoul is roughly 151% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Cixi is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.86 ¥19.14

218.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.4K

$21.88 ¥146

206.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,900

$4.73 ¥31.61

56.87%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,448

$2.96 ¥19.77

37.84%

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

$1.60 ₩2,132

$0.47 ¥3.14

240.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,074

$0.29 ¥1.95

175.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,867

$0.94 ¥6.28

288.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,924

$2.04 ¥13.64

191.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,731

$1.85 ¥12.40

10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,113

$1.60 ¥10.68

92.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,623

$0.95 ¥6.37

343.16%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,765

$1.54 ¥10.28

131.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.0K

$12.74 ¥85.1

40.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.2K

$3.16 ¥21.11

236.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.3K

$10.37 ¥69.3

154.97%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,906

$1.86 ¥12.42

298.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,713

$1.25 ¥8.37

182.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,834

$1.48 ¥9.89

296.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,500

$1.11 ¥7.41

473.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,008

$0.74 ¥4.93

406.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,323

$0.90 ¥6.01

176.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,895

$0.56 ¥3.71

421.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,535

$0.54 ¥3.63

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,390

$3.15 ¥21.04

4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.7K

$10.77 ¥72.0

71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,044

$0.78 ¥5.22

192.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,380

$1.65 ¥11.00

98.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,519

$0.29 ¥1.95

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.7K

$16.62 ¥111

173.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,644

$1.42 ¥9.48

145.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩800

$0.36 ¥2.39

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.6K

$6.71 ¥44.85

29.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩1,996

$1.13 ¥7.55

32.74%

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

$29.1K ₩38.9M

$19.7K ¥132.0K

47.47%

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

$28.2K ₩37.6M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

64.63%

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

$209 ₩278.8K

$44.63 ¥298

368.00%

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

$35.13 ₩46.9K

$9.55 ¥63.8

267.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.3K

$11.71 ¥78.3

80.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.5K

$42.36 ¥283

35.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.2K

$14.18 ¥94.7

12.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.1K

$6.06 ¥40.49

86.96%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$333 ¥2,227

470.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.1M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

31.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.6K

$43.43 ¥290

35.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩42.9K

$29.82 ¥199

7.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.6K

$72.8 ¥486

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.1K

$72.7 ¥486

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$283 ¥1,894

212.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩832.2K

$192 ¥1,281

225.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$588 ¥3,929

324.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$366 ¥2,448

248.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩39.8M

$3,000 ¥20.0K

894.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.8M

$1,998 ¥13.4K

493.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩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 4, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Cixi

$192 26.8% 69.3% $432

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Cixi

$199 27.9% 58.4% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Cixi

$66 9.2% 75.2% $199

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 54% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Cixi

$54 7.6% 31.9% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 62.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $283 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $22.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $199 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,829,488

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Cixi 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 151% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,733 in Seoul and $1,088 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $283 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $333 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 140% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Cixi versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.