Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Langfang

For one person, living is cheaper in Langfang: $690 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Langfang
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Langfang Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Langfang

🇨🇳 China

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Langfang

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $673 in Langfang, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Langfang $673

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,129 in Langfang, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Langfang $1,129

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,584 in Langfang, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Langfang $1,584

Seoul costs about 167% more than Langfang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Langfang is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.03 ¥20.28

200.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$19.58 ¥131

240.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.36 ¥29.14

71.79%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.03 ¥20.29

38.28%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.39 ¥2.62

297.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.28 ¥1.88

182.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.66 ¥4.38

451.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.51 ¥10.06

306.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.48 ¥9.89

42.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.34 ¥15.61

30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.61 ¥10.79

161.49%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.33 ¥8.88

166.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$14.77 ¥98.7

22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.61 ¥24.15

186.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$9.36 ¥62.6

182.80%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.65 ¥11.05

379.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.59 ¥10.65

116.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.77 ¥11.83

218.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.18 ¥7.89

443.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.88 ¥5.86

321.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.22 ¥8.15

106.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.68 ¥4.53

322.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.58 ¥3.86

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.01 ¥20.15

11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$13.35 ¥89.3

40.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.44 ¥2.91

418.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.19 ¥7.95

178.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.29 ¥1.93

289.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.80 ¥119

162.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.89 ¥5.94

295.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.31 ¥2.10

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.57 ¥23.86

145.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.04 ¥6.95

39.42%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$16.5K ¥110.6K

79.31%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$13.3K ¥88.7K

112.50%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$40.35 ¥270

422.58%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$6.44 ¥43.07

449.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$7.58 ¥50.7

171.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$40.94 ¥274

40.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.21 ¥102

6.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$4.53 ¥30.30

150.99%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$649 ¥4,342

202.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$7,327 ¥49.0K

210.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$56.3 ¥376

2.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$28.37 ¥190

16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$45.59 ¥305

53.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$44.59 ¥298

88.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$304 ¥2,030

189.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$186 ¥1,241

236.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$628 ¥4,200

300.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$369 ¥2,468

248.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,516 ¥23.5K

763.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,938 ¥13.0K

512.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$518 ¥3,461

595.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.54

15.25%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Langfang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Langfang

$186 26.9% 70.3% $439

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Langfang

$217 31.5% 54.7% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Langfang

$54 7.9% 79.6% $212

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Langfang

$83 12% 55.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Langfang

$79 11.4% 28.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Langfang

$50 7.3% 37.8% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Langfang

$21 3.1% 63.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $285 in Langfang. 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 587% 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 $20.00 in Langfang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $220 – making Langfang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Langfang

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

17:55 5:55 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,147,591

💱 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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Seoul Langfang 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Langfang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 167% more than Langfang, 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 $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,009 in Langfang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $20.00 in Langfang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $673 in Langfang. That's a gap of about 167%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Langfang, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Langfang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Langfang – 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 Langfang. 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.