Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Handan

For one person, living is cheaper in Handan: $638 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Handan
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Handan Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Handan

🇨🇳 China

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Handan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $638 in Handan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Handan $638

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,053 in Handan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Handan $1,053

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,468 in Handan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Handan $1,468

Seoul costs about 181% more than Handan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Handan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$1.92 ¥12.81

358.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$18.14 ¥121

276.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.56 ¥30.51

65.35%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.56 ¥17.14

65.23%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.39 ¥2.63

317.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.21 ¥1.40

252.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.74 ¥4.94

391.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.48 ¥9.89

315.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.45 ¥9.67

38.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$0.78 ¥5.23

301.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.73 ¥4.89

491.78%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$0.97 ¥6.49

272.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$11.87 ¥79.3

50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.92 ¥19.50

257.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$11.03 ¥73.8

133.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.44 ¥9.64

431.94%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$0.58 ¥3.90

482.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.36 ¥9.08

327.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.09 ¥7.32

488.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.29 ¥1.91

1193.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.31 ¥2.08

719.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.53 ¥3.53

435.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.36 ¥2.39

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.71 ¥24.81

-9.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.95 ¥66.5

85.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.68 ¥4.54

252.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.36 ¥9.12

147.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$17.97 ¥120

156.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$0.86 ¥5.75

305.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.25 ¥1.67

152.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$4.50 ¥30.08

96.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.32 ¥8.80

14.39%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.2K ¥128.7K

52.07%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$15.2K ¥101.7K

85.48%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$71.1 ¥475

205.94%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.35 ¥29.10

708.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$4.97 ¥33.26

328.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$41.70 ¥279

39.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$13.39 ¥89.6

20.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.37 ¥29.24

158.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$215 ¥1,439

805.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$19.6K ¥131.3K

16.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$29.42 ¥197

93.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$43.23 ¥289

-22.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$44.86 ¥300

59.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$69.3 ¥463

19.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$337 ¥2,254

167.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$165 ¥1,105

270.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$625 ¥4,181

303.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$427 ¥2,857

196.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,556 ¥23.8K

727.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,875 ¥12.5K

534.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$656 ¥4,389

456.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

36.00%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Handan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Handan

$165 25.9% 73% $446

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Handan

$168 26.3% 64.8% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Handan

$80 12.6% 70.6% $194

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Handan

$69 10.8% 62.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Handan

$84 13.2% 23.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Handan

$50 7.9% 37.5% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Handan

$21 3.3% 62.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $337 in Handan. 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 456% 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 $68.0 in Seoul versus $18.00 in Handan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $168 – making Handan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Handan

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

9,413,990

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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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 Handan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $957 in Handan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Handan, 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 $68.0 in Seoul and $18.00 in Handan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $638 in Handan. That's a gap of about 181%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Handan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Handan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Handan – 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 Handan. 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.