Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Guangzhou (Canton) Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Guangzhou (Canton)

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 92% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 112.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 94.3% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 109.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.87 ₩13.1K
$2.81 ¥19.23
215.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.8 ₩82.1K
$22.12 ¥151
152.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.39 ₩9,407
$4.96 ¥33.94
28.83%
Cappuccino
$3.80 ₩5,596
$3.02 ¥20.69
25.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₩2,457
$0.46 ¥3.15
263.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₩1,191
$0.30 ¥2.03
170.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.61 ₩5,320
$0.92 ¥6.32
292.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₩8,704
$1.62 ¥11.09
264.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₩3,180
$1.97 ¥13.49
9.64%
White Bread (500g)
$3.43 ₩5,054
$2.10 ¥14.38
63.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 ₩4,809
$1.23 ¥8.44
165.85%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,693
$1.58 ¥10.83
101.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.41 ₩21.2K
$19.09 ¥131
-24.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.69 ₩15.7K
$4.54 ¥31.05
135.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.03 ₩50.1K
$14.28 ¥97.7
138.31%
Apples (1kg)
$7.87 ₩11.6K
$2.13 ¥14.54
269.48%
Banana (1kg)
$3.55 ₩5,227
$1.21 ¥8.30
193.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,133
$2.01 ¥13.72
175.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.63 ₩9,761
$1.48 ¥10.09
347.97%
Potato (1kg)
$3.86 ₩5,680
$0.94 ¥6.41
310.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,341
$1.04 ¥7.11
183.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.63 ₩3,877
$0.51 ¥3.51
415.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,937
$0.60 ¥4.13
120.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ₩4,994
$3.91 ¥26.75
-13.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.46 ₩28.6K
$8.98 ¥61.4
116.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 ₩3,611
$0.98 ¥6.74
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 ₩4,782
$1.39 ¥9.51
133.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₩1,642
$0.43 ¥2.94
160.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.79 ₩68.9K
$24.93 ¥171
87.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.50 ₩5,152
$1.65 ¥11.28
112.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₩835
$0.37 ¥2.54
54.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.01 ₩13.3K
$6.11 ¥41.78
47.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ₩1,773
$1.12 ¥7.68
7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K ₩40.7M
$20.6K ¥140.9K
34.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K ₩37.3M
$19.5K ¥133.4K
29.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 ₩240.8K
$59.8 ¥409
173.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.58 ₩50.9K
$13.06 ¥89.3
164.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.01 ₩32.4K
$11.50 ¥78.7
91.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 ₩85.5K
$40.73 ¥279
42.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.08 ₩34.0K
$14.04 ¥96.0
64.39%
Cinema Ticket
$10.89 ₩16.0K
$6.49 ¥44.40
67.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$410 ₩603.0K
$315 ¥2,151
30.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K ₩35.1M
$15.8K ¥107.8K
51.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 ₩87.7K
$41.01 ¥281
45.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.19 ₩69.5K
$28.29 ¥194
66.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ₩117.5K
$69.8 ¥477
14.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ₩172.0K
$62.0 ¥424
88.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ₩1.4M
$487 ¥3,334
95.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 ₩879.7K
$265 ¥1,815
125.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,515 ₩3.7M
$1,154 ¥7,895
117.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,296 ₩1.9M
$627 ¥4,286
106.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K ₩26.9M
$8,782 ¥60.1K
108.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,948 ₩14.6M
$3,561 ¥24.4K
179.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,041 ₩4.5M
$1,391 ¥9,514
118.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
4.08
1.47%

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

Last update for Seoul: April 12, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): April 12, 2026

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The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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