Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $654 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $654 in Guilin, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Guilin $654

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,056 in Guilin, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Guilin $1,056

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,458 in Guilin, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Guilin $1,458

Seoul costs about 176% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Guilin is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.29 ¥15.32

297.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$14.80 ¥99.0

350.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$2.91 ¥19.45

157.39%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.12 ¥14.16

97.64%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.43 ¥2.87

260.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.29 ¥1.93

172.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.80 ¥5.36

355.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.11 ¥14.14

191.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.52 ¥10.17

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.30 ¥8.71

134.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.67 ¥4.49

528.36%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.84 ¥12.29

92.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.14 ¥87.8

37.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.39 ¥22.69

205.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$11.11 ¥74.3

138.25%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.47 ¥9.81

438.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.21 ¥8.11

184.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.04 ¥6.95

442.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$0.93 ¥6.25

589.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.74 ¥4.93

401.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.93 ¥6.23

170.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.58 ¥3.88

394.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.43 ¥2.89

169.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.65 ¥24.42

-7.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.50 ¥76.9

62.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.84 ¥5.60

171.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.63 ¥10.87

103.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.09

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.76 ¥119

163.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.37 ¥9.15

156.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.31 ¥2.10

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.14 ¥47.77

22.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.21 ¥8.09

19.83%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.4K ¥129.5K

53.13%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.5K ¥117.3K

60.68%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$23.99 ¥160

778.95%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$5.02 ¥33.53

604.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.20 ¥74.9

83.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.76 ¥279

38.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.13 ¥101

7.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.11 ¥34.17

122.50%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$413 ¥2,763

375.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.4K ¥116.7K

30.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$43.07 ¥288

33.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.32 ¥223

-0.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$73.5 ¥492

-4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$73.4 ¥491

14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$294 ¥1,964

198.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$183 ¥1,221

241.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$633 ¥4,236

296.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$379 ¥2,537

239.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$1,367 ¥9,139

2122.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,907 ¥12.8K

522.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$498 ¥3,327

623.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Guilin

$183 27.9% 70.7% $441

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Guilin

$193 29.6% 59.7% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Guilin

$40 6.1% 84.9% $227

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Guilin

$64 9.7% 65.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Guilin

$100 15.4% 8.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Guilin

$52 7.9% 35.4% $28

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Guilin

$22 3.4% 62.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $294 in Guilin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 623% higher in Seoul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $15.00 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $193 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,931,137

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 176%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $981 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guilin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul and $15.00 in Guilin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,804 in Seoul and $654 in Guilin. That's a gap of about 176%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $654, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Guilin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seoul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.