Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $764 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Hefei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $764 in Hefei.

Seoul $1,794
Hefei $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,215 in Hefei.

Seoul $2,863
Hefei $1,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,666 in Hefei.

Seoul $3,931
Hefei $1,666

Living in Seoul is roughly 135% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Hefei is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.60 ¥17.37

238.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$22.83 ¥153

199.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.53 ¥30.27

66.45%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.67 ¥17.83

58.43%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.49 ¥3.27

232.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.27 ¥1.78

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.03 ¥6.88

253.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.98 ¥13.27

210.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.58 ¥10.59

27.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.97 ¥13.14

58.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.79 ¥5.30

446.84%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.83 ¥12.22

97.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$13.84 ¥92.5

28.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$4.76 ¥31.85

119.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$11.55 ¥77.2

123.38%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.31 ¥15.44

231.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.68 ¥11.23

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.64 ¥10.95

254.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.54 ¥10.27

316.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.88 ¥5.90

326.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.99 ¥6.60

156.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.84 ¥5.59

238.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.66 ¥4.44

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.06 ¥20.47

9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$12.08 ¥80.8

53.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.88 ¥5.88

172.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.90 ¥12.73

77.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.31 ¥2.10

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$44.14 ¥295

4.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.17 ¥7.79

198.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.33 ¥2.18

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$3.54 ¥23.65

150.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.30 ¥8.69

16.15%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

53.87%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$16.9K ¥112.8K

67.21%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$49.24 ¥329

341.75%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$9.03 ¥60.4

289.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.71 ¥78.3

81.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$15.74 ¥105

268.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$15.63 ¥105

3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.43 ¥43.00

75.89%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$246 ¥1,645

691.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$8,528 ¥57.0K

168.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$90.9 ¥608

-37.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$32.82 ¥219

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$63.2 ¥422

13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$98.4 ¥658

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$249 ¥1,662

262.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$180 ¥1,202

240.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$550 ¥3,679

359.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$332 ¥2,221

281.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,585 ¥24.0K

720.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,910 ¥12.8K

523.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,007 ¥6,734

262.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.15

29.52%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Hefei

$180 23.5% 70.6% $432

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Hefei

$230 30.1% 51.7% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Hefei

$70 9.2% 74.5% $204

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Hefei

$78 10.3% 57.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Hefei

$128 16.8% 16.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Hefei

$29 3.8% 64.6% $52

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Hefei

$48 6.3% 15.9% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $249 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 262% 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 Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $230 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

9,369,881

💱 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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Seoul Hefei 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 135% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 262% 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 $249 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $764 in Hefei – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $764 in Hefei versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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 Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.