Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Huizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huizhou: $774 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Huizhou
Learn more

Huizhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Huizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Huizhou

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $774 in Huizhou, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Huizhou $774

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,197 in Huizhou, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Huizhou $1,197

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,620 in Huizhou, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Huizhou $1,620

Seoul costs about 132% more than Huizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Huizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.29 ¥15.31

284.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$17.54 ¥117

289.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$5.15 ¥34.46

46.41%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$2.95 ¥19.74

43.39%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.57 ¥3.84

185.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.29 ¥1.91

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$1.02 ¥6.82

256.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.68 ¥11.22

266.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.86 ¥12.43

8.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.57 ¥10.53

99.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$1.10 ¥7.34

292.73%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.58 ¥10.57

128.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$7.80 ¥52.2

128.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$4.28 ¥28.62

144.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$11.92 ¥79.7

116.44%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.83 ¥12.25

318.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.24 ¥8.30

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.25 ¥8.38

364.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.41 ¥9.43

354.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.93 ¥6.22

303.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$1.19 ¥7.93

113.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.67 ¥4.47

323.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.49 ¥3.26

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.05 ¥20.37

9.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$10.80 ¥72.2

71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$1.06 ¥7.10

126.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.67 ¥11.14

101.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$18.02 ¥120

155.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.03 ¥6.86

238.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.40 ¥2.70

57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$3.81 ¥25.46

132.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.18 ¥7.90

27.97%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.6K ¥130.8K

49.68%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$15.5K ¥103.5K

82.23%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$50.6 ¥339

329.63%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$11.45 ¥76.6

206.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$9.80 ¥65.5

117.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$40.90 ¥274

41.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$15.01 ¥100

7.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$6.70 ¥44.80

68.81%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$418 ¥2,797

365.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$21.3K ¥142.3K

7.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$49.19 ¥329

15.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$41.73 ¥279

-19.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$83.5 ¥558

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$70.5 ¥471

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$212 ¥1,420

324.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$237 ¥1,582

158.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$392 ¥2,621

544.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$419 ¥2,803

202.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$2,269 ¥15.2K

1196.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,182 ¥7,907

906.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$860 ¥5,750

324.53%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Huizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Huizhou

$237 30.5% 61.3% $375

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Huizhou

$198 25.6% 58.4% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Huizhou

$72 9.3% 73.8% $202

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Huizhou

$81 10.5% 55.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Huizhou

$110 14.2% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Huizhou

$54 7% 32.7% $26

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Huizhou

$22 2.9% 61.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $212 in Huizhou. 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 325% 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 Huizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $198 – making Huizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Huizhou

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,597,002

💱 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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Seoul Huizhou 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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Huizhou

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 Huizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $774 in Huizhou – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,162 in Huizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huizhou, 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 Huizhou. 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 $774 in Huizhou. That's a gap of about 132%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Huizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Huizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huizhou – 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 Huizhou. 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.