Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $895 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Dalian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $895 in Dalian.

Seoul $1,822
Dalian $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,433 in Dalian.

Seoul $2,847
Dalian $1,433

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,970 in Dalian.

Seoul $3,872
Dalian $1,970

Living in Seoul is roughly 104% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Dalian is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.63 ¥24.25

150.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$24.88 ¥166

169.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.12 ¥34.24

44.92%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.30 ¥22.04

23.64%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.49 ¥3.30

226.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.25 ¥1.67

220.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$0.92 ¥6.17

296.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$1.53 ¥10.23

288.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.59 ¥10.63

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.42 ¥9.52

116.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.02 ¥6.80

312.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.59 ¥10.61

124.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$20.36 ¥136

-11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.46 ¥23.10

207.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$13.05 ¥87.2

102.61%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.31 ¥8.74

466.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.13 ¥7.52

212.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.93 ¥12.90

204.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$0.89 ¥5.96

615.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.82 ¥5.50

357.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.71 ¥4.77

250.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.35 ¥9.00

116.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.62 ¥4.16

85.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$3.75 ¥25.08

-12.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$14.55 ¥97.2

27.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.10 ¥7.32

107.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.93 ¥12.92

69.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.31 ¥2.10

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$30.05 ¥201

51.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.53 ¥10.23

127.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.43 ¥2.87

39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$3.98 ¥26.60

118.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.26 ¥8.43

19.05%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.6K ¥130.8K

48.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

61.06%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$63.8 ¥426

227.64%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$9.13 ¥61.0

284.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$13.34 ¥89.1

58.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$40.35 ¥270

42.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$36.04 ¥241

-55.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.85 ¥45.75

65.40%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$393 ¥2,627

383.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$20.6K ¥137.9K

9.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$75.4 ¥504

-21.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$54.9 ¥367

-41.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$114 ¥762

-38.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$117 ¥784

-29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$402 ¥2,684

120.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$244 ¥1,628

155.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$702 ¥4,688

255.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$445 ¥2,971

186.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$2,684 ¥17.9K

1011.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,585 ¥10.6K

647.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,090 ¥7,287

234.63%

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 Dalian: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Dalian

$244 26.6% 60.9% $380

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 50.2% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Dalian

$86 9.4% 67.5% $179

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Dalian

$95 10.3% 48.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Dalian

$163 17.8% 48.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 32.4% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 38.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $402 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 235% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $25.00 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $239 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

7,450,785

💱 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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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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Dalian differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $895 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 235% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $402 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $393 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Dalian versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Dalian 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 Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 104% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.