Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Hohhot

For one person, living is cheaper in Hohhot: $725 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Hohhot
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Hohhot Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Hohhot

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Hohhot

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $725 in Hohhot, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Hohhot $725

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,133 in Hohhot, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Hohhot $1,133

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,542 in Hohhot, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Hohhot $1,542

Seoul costs about 149% more than Hohhot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Hohhot is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.43 ¥22.90

165.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.14 ¥148

201.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$8.61 ¥57.5

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.67 ¥24.57

14.17%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.46 ¥3.05

236.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.30 ¥2.02

163.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.22 ¥8.17

198.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.07 ¥13.82

196.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$2.31 ¥15.41

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.28 ¥8.59

138.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.17 ¥7.81

259.83%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.46 ¥9.79

142.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.43 ¥89.8

34.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.13 ¥20.91

230.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$12.81 ¥85.6

106.64%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.02 ¥13.52

291.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.22 ¥8.18

181.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.75 ¥11.67

222.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$0.74 ¥4.97

766.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.54 ¥3.63

587.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.88 ¥5.89

186.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.59 ¥3.94

386.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.46 ¥3.04

152.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$5.56 ¥37.17

-39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$7.68 ¥51.4

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.94 ¥6.30

142.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.83 ¥12.24

80.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.17 ¥1.15

564.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.58 ¥118

165.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.17 ¥7.80

200.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.23 ¥1.54

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.20 ¥21.39

173.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.26 ¥8.42

15.08%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$15.7K ¥105.3K

88.35%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$15.9K ¥106.6K

76.87%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$54.9 ¥367

283.87%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$6.29 ¥42.08

462.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.07 ¥74.0

85.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$34.07 ¥228

69.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$17.17 ¥115

-5.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.12 ¥34.21

122.07%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$409 ¥2,735

380.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$24.3K ¥162.4K

-6.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$60.7 ¥406

-5.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$26.14 ¥175

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$83.2 ¥556

-15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$74.1 ¥496

13.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$205 ¥1,371

327.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$163 ¥1,090

282.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$333 ¥2,225

655.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$267 ¥1,788

381.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$1,696 ¥11.3K

1691.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,105 ¥7,386

975.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$933 ¥6,235

285.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.75

8.80%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hohhot: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Hohhot

$163 22.5% 73.9% $461

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Hohhot

$204 28.1% 57.5% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Hohhot

$72 10% 72.9% $194

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Hohhot

$111 15.3% 40.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Hohhot

$110 15.2% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Hohhot

$44 6.1% 44.9% $36

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Hohhot

$21 2.8% 64.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $205 in Hohhot. 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 286% 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 $22.00 in Hohhot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $204 – making Hohhot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Hohhot

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,446,100

💱 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 Hohhot 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Hohhot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $725 in Hohhot – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,087 in Hohhot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 135% 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 $67.0 in Seoul and $22.00 in Hohhot. 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 Hohhot, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Hohhot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hohhot – 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 Hohhot. 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.