Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Heze

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $694 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Heze
Learn more

Heze Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Heze

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $694 in Heze, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Heze $694

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,076 in Heze, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Heze $1,076

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,458 in Heze, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Heze $1,458

Seoul costs about 158% more than Heze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Heze is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.57 ¥17.19

242.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$10.85 ¥72.5

530.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$4.80 ¥32.10

57.08%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$2.57 ¥17.18

64.59%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.46 ¥3.09

254.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.21 ¥1.40

252.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$0.88 ¥5.89

313.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$2.05 ¥13.70

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.44 ¥9.64

39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.47 ¥9.85

112.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$1.23 ¥8.23

251.22%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.06 ¥7.09

240.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$11.66 ¥78.0

52.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.35 ¥22.37

211.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$11.26 ¥75.3

129.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.42 ¥9.47

439.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.02 ¥6.81

231.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.37 ¥9.14

324.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.10 ¥7.38

482.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.57 ¥3.81

557.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$0.72 ¥4.82

252.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.58 ¥3.86

389.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.62 ¥4.13

79.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.78 ¥25.27

-11.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$9.93 ¥66.4

86.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.68 ¥4.52

252.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.31 ¥8.73

157.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.31 ¥2.05

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$19.56 ¥131

135.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.02 ¥6.82

242.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.27 ¥1.81

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$4.58 ¥30.62

93.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$0.94 ¥6.32

60.64%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

49.50%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$14.8K ¥98.9K

90.70%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$73.8 ¥493

194.82%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$6.86 ¥45.89

412.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$5.25 ¥35.09

305.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$44.78 ¥299

29.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$16.66 ¥111

-3.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.17 ¥34.57

118.76%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$219 ¥1,468

787.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$19.9K ¥132.8K

15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$34.41 ¥230

65.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$42.30 ¥283

-21.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$58.8 ¥393

21.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$51.8 ¥346

59.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$302 ¥2,017

198.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$182 ¥1,219

235.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$622 ¥4,157

306.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$369 ¥2,470

242.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$3,496 ¥23.4K

741.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,956 ¥13.1K

508.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$602 ¥4,025

506.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.13

30.35%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Heze: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Heze

$182 26.3% 70.2% $430

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Heze

$187 26.9% 60.8% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Heze

$86 12.4% 68.6% $188

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Heze

$77 11.1% 58.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Heze

$84 12.1% 23.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Heze

$55 7.9% 31.7% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Heze

$23 3.3% 59.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $302 in Heze. 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 506% 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 $11.00 in Heze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $187 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Heze

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

8,795,939

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,499 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Heze 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Heze

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 Heze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $694 in Heze – roughly 158% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,042 in Heze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heze, 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 $11.00 in Heze. 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 $694 in Heze. That's a gap of about 158%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heze – 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 Heze. 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.