Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $733 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $733 in Lhasa.

Seoul $1,804
Lhasa $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,192 in Lhasa.

Seoul $2,877
Lhasa $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,651 in Lhasa.

Seoul $3,950
Lhasa $1,651

Living in Seoul is roughly 146% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Lhasa is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$4.53 ¥30.26

100.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$30.37 ¥203

119.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$7.52 ¥50.3

-0.40%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.79 ¥18.69

50.18%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.43 ¥2.90

260.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.30 ¥2.04

163.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.48 ¥9.89

145.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.06 ¥13.80

198.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.78 ¥11.93

18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.65 ¥11.00

84.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.96 ¥6.39

338.54%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.68 ¥11.26

110.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$7.16 ¥47.89

151.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.92 ¥19.52

254.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$10.97 ¥73.3

141.29%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.88 ¥12.57

320.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.29 ¥8.61

166.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.55 ¥10.37

263.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.27 ¥8.52

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.70 ¥4.70

430.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.94 ¥6.26

168.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.58 ¥3.89

394.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.55 ¥3.70

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.77 ¥25.18

-10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.77 ¥78.7

59.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.89 ¥5.95

156.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.56 ¥10.42

112.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.29 ¥1.92

289.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.84 ¥119

161.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.45 ¥9.72

142.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.33 ¥2.20

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.00 ¥46.79

25.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.25 ¥8.36

16.00%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

52.29%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.2K ¥114.7K

64.40%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$57.0 ¥381

269.67%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.51 ¥56.9

315.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.05 ¥73.9

86.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$42.14 ¥282

36.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.97 ¥100

8.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.48 ¥43.33

75.46%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$413 ¥2,762

376.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.6K ¥117.9K

29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$44.14 ¥295

30.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.10 ¥221

-0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$73.9 ¥494

-5.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$75.9 ¥507

11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$294 ¥1,965

198.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$183 ¥1,223

241.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$624 ¥4,174

302.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$375 ¥2,508

243.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,432 ¥22.9K

784.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,929 ¥12.9K

515.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$2,127 ¥14.2K

69.15%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Lhasa

$183 24.9% 70.7% $441

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Lhasa

$188 25.6% 60.9% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Lhasa

$77 10.5% 71.3% $190

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Lhasa

$107 14.6% 42.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Lhasa

$102 13.9% 7.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 31.5% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Lhasa

$22 3% 61.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $294 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 69% 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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $30.00 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $188 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

867,891

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Lhasa 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Lhasa

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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Lhasa differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($1,804 vs $733 including rent). Lhasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $878 in Seoul versus $294 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 156% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $733 in Lhasa versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa 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 Lhasa 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 Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.