Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Karamay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karamay: $736 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
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Karamay Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Karamay

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $736 in Karamay, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Karamay $736

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,182 in Karamay, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Karamay $1,182

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,627 in Karamay, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Karamay $1,627

Seoul costs about 144% more than Karamay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Karamay is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.01 ¥20.11

192.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$22.48 ¥150

204.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$5.12 ¥34.17

47.27%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.73 ¥18.26

54.95%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.48 ¥3.19

239.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.29 ¥1.91

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.10 ¥7.35

230.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.14 ¥14.28

187.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.87 ¥12.45

7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.60 ¥10.67

95.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.93 ¥6.21

364.52%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.67 ¥11.14

116.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$13.36 ¥89.2

33.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.46 ¥23.08

202.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$11.37 ¥75.9

126.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.80 ¥12.05

325.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.28 ¥8.55

164.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.50 ¥10.01

287.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.35 ¥9.02

374.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.74 ¥4.95

406.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.89 ¥5.94

185.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.59 ¥3.92

381.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.58 ¥3.87

91.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.24 ¥28.31

-20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$11.66 ¥77.9

58.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.87 ¥5.81

175.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.55 ¥10.32

117.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.32 ¥2.17

256.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$19.57 ¥131

135.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.52 ¥10.15

129.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.33 ¥2.19

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$7.32 ¥48.85

21.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.26 ¥8.44

19.84%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$18.7K ¥124.6K

56.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.8K ¥119.0K

58.32%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$57.4 ¥383

279.15%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$8.90 ¥59.4

294.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.36 ¥75.8

87.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$40.91 ¥273

41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$15.31 ¥102

5.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.27 ¥41.86

80.38%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$417 ¥2,784

367.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

30.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$42.74 ¥285

33.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$33.16 ¥221

0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$75.5 ¥504

-5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$76.2 ¥508

8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$297 ¥1,980

203.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$183 ¥1,225

233.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$628 ¥4,195

302.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$378 ¥2,525

234.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,944 ¥26.3K

645.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,919 ¥12.8K

520.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$599 ¥3,998

509.53%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Karamay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Karamay

$183 24.9% 70% $428

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Karamay

$210 28.5% 55.9% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Karamay

$78 10.6% 71.7% $196

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Karamay

$85 11.6% 53.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Karamay

$102 13.9% 6.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Karamay

$53 7.3% 33.8% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Karamay

$24 3.3% 58.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $297 in Karamay. 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 510% 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 $22.00 in Karamay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $210 – making Karamay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Karamay

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

490,348

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Karamay 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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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 Karamay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,104 in Karamay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 127% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $22.00 in Karamay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karamay, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Karamay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karamay – 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 Karamay. 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.