Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Heyuan $1,776

Seoul costs about 127% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Heyuan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.06 ¥20.44

197.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$29.30 ¥196

127.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.34 ¥35.68

40.26%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.06 ¥20.47

36.93%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.58 ¥3.87

167.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.34 ¥2.25

132.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.36 ¥9.11

167.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.75 ¥18.38

123.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.79 ¥11.95

17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.91 ¥12.75

59.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.11 ¥7.39

279.28%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.52 ¥10.19

132.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$16.29 ¥109

10.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$5.14 ¥34.37

101.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$12.23 ¥81.8

116.43%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.29 ¥15.28

245.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.22 ¥8.18

181.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.38 ¥9.22

308.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.78 ¥11.89

260.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.96 ¥6.40

286.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.18 ¥7.92

113.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.83 ¥5.55

245.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.66 ¥4.44

75.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.90 ¥26.04

-13.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$10.64 ¥71.1

75.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$1.02 ¥6.79

123.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.90 ¥12.71

74.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.10

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.71 ¥118

163.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.84 ¥12.32

91.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.43 ¥2.89

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.19 ¥48.04

21.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.33 ¥8.88

9.02%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.2K ¥128.1K

54.87%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.7K ¥118.6K

58.93%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$61.4 ¥410

243.64%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$16.39 ¥110

115.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$14.49 ¥96.9

41.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.17 ¥275

40.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.11 ¥101

7.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.54 ¥43.72

73.85%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$422 ¥2,823

365.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$24.4K ¥163.4K

-6.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$49.24 ¥329

16.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$41.47 ¥277

-20.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$81.1 ¥542

-13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$69.9 ¥467

20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$303 ¥2,026

189.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$182 ¥1,218

242.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$623 ¥4,165

303.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$375 ¥2,507

243.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,487 ¥23.3K

770.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,937 ¥13.0K

513.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$1,362 ¥9,104

164.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.38

20.71%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Heyuan

$182 23% 70.8% $442

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 50.3% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 65.4% $175

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 49.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 1.3% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 32.6% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 60.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 168% 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 $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,953,019

💱 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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Seoul Heyuan 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 127% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 100% more in Seoul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – 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 Heyuan. 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.