Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Jingmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jingmen: $749 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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 Jingmen
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Jingmen Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Jingmen

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Jingmen

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $749 in Jingmen, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Jingmen $749

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,204 in Jingmen, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Jingmen $1,204

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,659 in Jingmen, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Jingmen $1,659

Seoul costs about 139% more than Jingmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Jingmen is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.07 ¥20.50

196.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.34 ¥149

198.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$3.99 ¥26.65

87.72%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.15 ¥14.39

94.88%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.46 ¥3.10

236.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.29 ¥1.92

172.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.89 ¥5.94

308.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.02 ¥6.81

501.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$2.09 ¥13.94

0.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.87 ¥12.53

63.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.98 ¥6.56

329.59%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.67 ¥11.15

111.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.43 ¥89.8

34.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.55 ¥23.73

191.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$13.70 ¥91.6

93.21%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.27 ¥15.15

248.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.25 ¥8.34

175.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.46 ¥9.79

286.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.14 ¥7.65

462.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.77 ¥5.16

381.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.80 ¥5.35

215.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.38 ¥2.51

655.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.43 ¥2.91

169.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$6.63 ¥44.35

-49.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$14.65 ¥97.9

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.78 ¥5.23

192.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.01 ¥13.44

64.68%

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

$17.74 ¥119

163.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.53 ¥10.25

130.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.29 ¥1.91

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$4.29 ¥28.65

104.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.08 ¥7.19

34.26%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.7K ¥131.9K

50.35%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.1K ¥114.0K

65.33%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$57.7 ¥385

265.76%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$7.27 ¥48.60

386.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$12.00 ¥80.2

71.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.86 ¥280

37.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.89 ¥99.5

8.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.30 ¥35.41

114.53%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$385 ¥2,575

410.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$12.1K ¥80.9K

88.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$55.3 ¥370

3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.22 ¥222

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$60.6 ¥405

15.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$113 ¥758

-25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$294 ¥1,963

198.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$181 ¥1,208

245.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$630 ¥4,212

298.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$370 ¥2,476

247.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,474 ¥23.2K

774.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,923 ¥12.9K

517.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.31

23.26%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jingmen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Jingmen

$181 24.1% 71.1% $443

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Jingmen

$228 30.4% 52.6% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Jingmen

$77 10.3% 71.2% $190

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Jingmen

$72 9.6% 61.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Jingmen

$118 15.8% 7.2% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Jingmen

$52 7% 34.8% $28

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Jingmen

$22 2.9% 62.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $294 in Jingmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $22.00 in Jingmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $228 – making Jingmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Jingmen

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,873,687

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Jingmen 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Jingmen

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 Jingmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $749 in Jingmen – roughly 139% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,124 in Jingmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $385 in Jingmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 110% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jingmen, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Jingmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jingmen – 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 Jingmen. 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.