Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jining
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Jining Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Jining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $675 in Jining.

Seoul $1,794
Jining $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,012 in Jining.

Seoul $2,863
Jining $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,349 in Jining.

Seoul $3,931
Jining $1,349

Living in Seoul is roughly 166% more expensive than in Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Jining is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.19 ¥14.62

301.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$16.48 ¥110

314.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.37 ¥29.21

72.54%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.51 ¥16.75

68.53%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.51 ¥3.41

219.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.31 ¥2.08

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.93 ¥6.21

291.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$1.61 ¥10.80

281.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.70 ¥11.35

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.18 ¥7.89

165.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.94 ¥6.27

359.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$0.96 ¥6.43

276.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$8.16 ¥54.5

118.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$2.87 ¥19.17

264.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.26 ¥68.6

151.46%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.45 ¥9.68

428.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$0.99 ¥6.61

241.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.06 ¥7.06

448.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.17 ¥7.84

447.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.61 ¥4.09

514.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.73 ¥4.89

247.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.66 ¥4.42

330.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.76 ¥5.08

46.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$5.31 ¥35.50

-36.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.86 ¥65.9

87.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.95 ¥6.32

152.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.61 ¥10.74

109.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$18.21 ¥122

153.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.04 ¥6.94

235.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.29 ¥1.93

117.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$3.60 ¥24.10

146.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.31 ¥8.77

15.27%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

51.67%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.6K ¥117.7K

60.31%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$60.8 ¥407

257.65%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$6.92 ¥46.30

407.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$10.47 ¥70.0

103.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$42.31 ¥283

37.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$15.20 ¥102

5.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$4.43 ¥29.64

155.30%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$386 ¥2,578

405.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$7,427 ¥49.7K

207.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$43.12 ¥288

32.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$33.56 ¥224

-0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$72.6 ¥485

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$69.8 ¥466

18.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$281 ¥1,880

220.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$182 ¥1,214

236.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$391 ¥2,615

545.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$269 ¥1,796

371.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,524 ¥23.6K

734.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,958 ¥13.1K

507.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$592 ¥3,957

516.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.29

24.01%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Jining

$182 26.9% 70.3% $430

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Jining

$172 25.5% 63.9% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Jining

$78 11.6% 71.5% $196

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Jining

$72 10.6% 60.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Jining

$99 14.6% 10.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Jining

$51 7.6% 36.6% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Jining

$22 3.3% 61.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $281 in Jining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 517% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Seoul vs $16.00 in Jining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $172 per month, with Jining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

8,357,897

💱 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 Jining 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
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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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jining is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 166% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 517% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Seoul versus $281 in Jining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jining runs roughly 153% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $386 in Jining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Jining versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jining but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Jining the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Seoul and Jining are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Jining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.