Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
Learn more

Foshan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Foshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $777 in Foshan.

Seoul $1,794
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Seoul $2,863
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Seoul $3,931
Foshan $1,708

Living in Seoul is roughly 131% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Foshan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$3.78 ¥25.26

132.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$22.79 ¥152

200.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$5.11 ¥34.20

47.55%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$3.07 ¥20.51

37.79%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.52 ¥3.49

213.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.31 ¥2.09

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$1.22 ¥8.17

198.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.89 ¥12.61

225.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.66 ¥11.11

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.12 ¥7.48

179.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.92 ¥6.16

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.70 ¥11.38

112.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$16.68 ¥112

6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.92 ¥26.18

166.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$10.69 ¥71.5

141.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$3.01 ¥20.16

154.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.27 ¥8.51

166.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.90 ¥12.69

205.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.63 ¥10.92

293.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$1.09 ¥7.27

244.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$0.95 ¥6.39

167.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.64 ¥4.26

343.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.50 ¥3.37

122.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$2.23 ¥14.90

50.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$10.23 ¥68.4

80.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.93 ¥6.24

158.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.51 ¥10.13

123.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$10.62 ¥71.0

334.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.52 ¥10.18

129.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.47 ¥3.15

34.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$8.81 ¥58.9

0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.22 ¥8.19

23.77%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$21.3K ¥142.3K

37.54%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$16.2K ¥108.3K

74.18%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$84.5 ¥565

157.36%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$7.92 ¥53.0

343.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$15.69 ¥105

35.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$71.4 ¥477

-18.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$23.83 ¥159

-32.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.31 ¥35.51

112.99%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$457 ¥3,055

326.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-1.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$42.21 ¥282

35.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$18.76 ¥125

77.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$62.1 ¥415

15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$91.8 ¥614

-10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$304 ¥2,032

196.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$159 ¥1,061

285.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$596 ¥3,983

324.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$341 ¥2,280

271.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$4,329 ¥28.9K

579.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,864 ¥12.5K

538.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$802 ¥5,363

355.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.83

6.53%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 74.1% $453

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 53.8% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 60.5% $166

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 48% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Foshan

$16 2% 72.5% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 355% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

9,498,863

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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 Foshan 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 355% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 334% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan 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 Foshan 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 Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.