Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $499 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $501 in Kaifeng.

Seoul $1,794
Kaifeng $501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $791 in Kaifeng.

Seoul $2,863
Kaifeng $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,081 in Kaifeng.

Seoul $3,931
Kaifeng $1,081

Living in Seoul is roughly 258% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Kaifeng is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$1.81 ¥12.09

402.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$13.66 ¥91.3

388.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.21 ¥28.12

77.91%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.29 ¥15.32

82.97%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.36 ¥2.40

330.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.14 ¥0.93

464.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.86 ¥5.77

323.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.51 ¥10.12

306.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.49 ¥9.95

41.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.47 ¥9.82

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.82 ¥5.48

413.41%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$0.90 ¥6.04

293.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$6.80 ¥45.47

165.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.33 ¥15.59

344.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$9.70 ¥64.9

172.89%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$0.88 ¥5.91

798.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.00 ¥6.71

244.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$0.62 ¥4.15

809.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$0.60 ¥3.99

968.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.61 ¥4.08

508.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.68 ¥4.58

270.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.23 ¥1.54

1147.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.55 ¥3.69

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.01 ¥20.16

11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$15.03 ¥101

24.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.93 ¥6.20

145.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.07 ¥13.85

59.90%

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

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.22 ¥8.15

188.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.16 ¥1.09

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.56 ¥23.80

146.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.27 ¥8.47

14.17%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

49.81%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$15.2K ¥101.4K

85.96%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$44.64 ¥298

372.36%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$4.64 ¥31.03

662.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$5.17 ¥34.56

297.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$29.59 ¥198

95.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$10.29 ¥68.8

57.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$3.75 ¥25.09

203.20%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$387 ¥2,587

408.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$30.1K ¥201.4K

-24.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$44.03 ¥294

30.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.40 ¥223

-0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$71.5 ¥478

-1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$44.02 ¥294

91.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$121 ¥810

624.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$90.9 ¥608

586.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$223 ¥1,488

1029.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$182 ¥1,215

608.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$571 ¥3,820

529.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.1

31.61%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Kaifeng

$91 18.2% 85.4% $533

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Kaifeng

$163 32.7% 66% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Kaifeng

$54 10.9% 79.6% $212

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Kaifeng

$64 12.8% 65.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Kaifeng

$87 17.4% 21.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Kaifeng

$37 7.4% 53.9% $43

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Kaifeng

$2.7 * 0.6% 95.3% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $120 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 532% 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 $14.00 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $164 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,676,159

💱 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 Kaifeng 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 258% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 532% 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 $120 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 192% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $501 in Kaifeng – a 258% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $501 in Kaifeng versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 258% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.