Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Jilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Jilin

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $737 in Jilin, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Jilin $737

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,185 in Jilin, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Jilin $1,185

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,633 in Jilin, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Jilin $1,633

Seoul costs about 145% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Jilin is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.96 ¥19.79

207.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.66 ¥152

194.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.31 ¥35.51

41.05%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.46 ¥23.12

21.10%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.45 ¥2.98

244.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.25 ¥1.65

216.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.15 ¥7.69

216.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.26 ¥15.12

171.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.75 ¥11.67

20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.63 ¥10.92

87.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.93 ¥6.24

352.69%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.68 ¥11.21

110.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.07 ¥87.4

37.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.40 ¥22.75

204.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$11.15 ¥74.6

137.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.80 ¥12.07

339.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.28 ¥8.55

168.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.57 ¥10.48

259.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.26 ¥8.42

408.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.70 ¥4.68

430.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.96 ¥6.44

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.63 ¥4.21

355.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.54 ¥3.62

114.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.81 ¥25.49

-11.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.76 ¥78.6

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.88 ¥5.92

159.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.62 ¥10.84

104.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.29 ¥1.91

289.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$18.27 ¥122

155.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.08 ¥7.21

225.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.24 ¥1.59

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.08 ¥47.35

23.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.25 ¥8.38

16.00%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

50.62%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

64.03%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$56.7 ¥379

272.08%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.74 ¥58.4

304.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.28 ¥75.4

82.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$42.47 ¥284

35.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.22 ¥102

6.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.30 ¥42.12

80.48%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$415 ¥2,774

374.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.4K ¥116.6K

30.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$43.23 ¥289

32.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$34.09 ¥228

-2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$73.9 ¥494

-5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$74.2 ¥496

13.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$297 ¥1,989

195.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$181 ¥1,208

245.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$635 ¥4,248

295.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$377 ¥2,517

241.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,419 ¥22.9K

788.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,956 ¥13.1K

507.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$451 ¥3,018

697.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Jilin

$181 24.5% 71% $443

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Jilin

$207 28.2% 56.7% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Jilin

$77 10.4% 71.3% $190

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Jilin

$94 12.8% 49.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Jilin

$101 13.8% 7.9% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Jilin

$55 7.5% 31.5% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Jilin

$22 2.9% 62.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $297 in Jilin. 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 697% 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 $23.00 in Jilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $207 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,623,713

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 145% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $1,106 in Jilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $415 in Jilin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – 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 Jilin. 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.