Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Linyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $586 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
Learn more

Linyi Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Linyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $586 in Linyi.

Seoul $1,794
Linyi $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $935 in Linyi.

Seoul $2,863
Linyi $935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,284 in Linyi.

Seoul $3,931
Linyi $1,284

Living in Seoul is roughly 206% more expensive than in Linyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Linyi is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.30 ¥15.39

282.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$23.80 ¥159

187.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.81 ¥32.18

56.76%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.58 ¥17.27

63.95%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.43 ¥2.89

279.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.23 ¥1.54

221.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.88 ¥5.90

313.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.03 ¥13.56

202.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.45 ¥9.68

38.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.46 ¥9.76

114.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.39 ¥2.61

1007.69%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.08 ¥7.19

234.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$9.07 ¥60.7

96.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$1.80 ¥12.07

480.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$11.03 ¥73.7

133.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.18 ¥7.92

549.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.06 ¥7.08

218.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.02 ¥6.82

469.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$0.98 ¥6.56

554.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.46 ¥3.10

715.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.39 ¥2.57

551.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.53 ¥3.57

435.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.66 ¥4.44

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$4.38 ¥29.31

-23.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.93 ¥66.4

86.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.67 ¥4.47

258.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.33 ¥8.92

153.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 ¥1.93

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.04 ¥6.94

235.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.27 ¥1.81

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$4.38 ¥29.30

102.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.16 ¥7.74

30.17%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$16.2K ¥108.2K

80.94%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$14.7K ¥98.3K

91.86%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$73.9 ¥494

194.26%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$4.83 ¥32.30

627.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$5.16 ¥34.53

312.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$53.7 ¥359

8.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$26.35 ¥176

-38.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$5.26 ¥35.18

115.02%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$217 ¥1,452

796.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$10.5K ¥70.5K

116.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$22.72 ¥152

151.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$22.52 ¥151

48.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$70.6 ¥472

1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$68.6 ¥458

20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$211 ¥1,413

326.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$113 ¥755

442.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$492 ¥3,288

413.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$208 ¥1,391

508.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$1,483 ¥9,914

1884.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$985 ¥6,585

1108.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$801 ¥5,353

355.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.13

30.35%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Linyi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Linyi

$113 19.3% 81.6% $499

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Linyi

$164 27.9% 65.7% $313

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Linyi

$84 14.3% 69.4% $190

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Linyi

$75 12.8% 59.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Linyi

$83 14.2% 24.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Linyi

$64 11% 20.4% $16

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Linyi

$3.6 * 0.6% 93.8% $54

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 $211 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 356% 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 $24.00 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $164 per month, with Linyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Linyi

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,710,000

💱 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 Linyi 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min 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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 206% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 356% 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 $211 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 191% 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 $586 in Linyi – a 206% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $586 in Linyi versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Linyi 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 Linyi 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 Linyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 206% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.