Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Liuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Liuzhou: $770 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Liuzhou
Learn more

Liuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Liuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Liuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $770 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Liuzhou $770

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,197 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Liuzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,625 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Liuzhou $1,625

Seoul costs about 133% more than Liuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Liuzhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.71 ¥18.13

235.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.23 ¥149

199.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.25 ¥35.12

42.67%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.82 ¥18.85

48.58%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.51 ¥3.41

203.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.31 ¥2.08

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.06 ¥7.12

243.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.15 ¥14.38

185.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.85 ¥12.34

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.59 ¥10.64

91.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.99 ¥6.59

325.25%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.69 ¥11.28

109.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.19 ¥88.2

36.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.35 ¥22.37

208.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$11.24 ¥75.2

135.50%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.47 ¥9.82

438.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$0.87 ¥5.79

295.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.50 ¥10.05

276.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.32 ¥8.82

385.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.75 ¥5.00

394.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.95 ¥6.32

165.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.60 ¥3.99

378.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.59 ¥3.95

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.83 ¥25.61

-12.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.43 ¥76.4

63.78%

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

$1.62 ¥10.84

104.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.08

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$18.21 ¥122

156.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.52 ¥10.16

131.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.33 ¥2.18

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$6.99 ¥46.76

25.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.39 ¥9.33

4.32%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

52.20%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.1K ¥114.3K

64.90%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$57.8 ¥387

264.75%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.84 ¥59.1

300.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.27 ¥75.3

82.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$80.0 ¥535

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.15 ¥101

6.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.26 ¥41.84

81.63%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$418 ¥2,796

370.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.3K ¥115.5K

31.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$43.99 ¥294

30.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.95 ¥227

-2.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$75.8 ¥507

-7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$76.0 ¥508

10.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$239 ¥1,598

267.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$185 ¥1,237

237.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$419 ¥2,800

500.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$316 ¥2,115

306.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,506 ¥23.4K

766.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,907 ¥12.7K

522.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$608 ¥4,066

491.80%

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 Liuzhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Liuzhou

$185 24% 70.4% $439

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Liuzhou

$204 26.5% 57.4% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Liuzhou

$78 10.1% 70.8% $189

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Liuzhou

$84 10.9% 54.6% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Liuzhou

$103 13.4% 6.2% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Liuzhou

$93 12% 15% $12

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Liuzhou

$23 2.9% 61% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $239 in Liuzhou. 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 500% 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 Liuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $204 – making Liuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Liuzhou

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

4,157,934

💱 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 Liuzhou 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 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 Liuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,794 in Seoul, $770 in Liuzhou – roughly 133% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,155 in Liuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 133% 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 Liuzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liuzhou, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Liuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Liuzhou – 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 Liuzhou. 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.