Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $462 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $462 in Longyan, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Longyan $462

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $750 in Longyan, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Longyan $750

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,038 in Longyan, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Longyan $1,038

Seoul costs about 291% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Longyan is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.95 ¥19.74

208.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.57 ¥151

195.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.96 ¥33.19

51.01%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.20 ¥14.72

90.45%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.44 ¥2.94

252.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.27 ¥1.79

192.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.88 ¥5.87

313.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.60 ¥10.68

283.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$2.08 ¥13.90

1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.42 ¥9.47

114.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.78 ¥5.22

439.74%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.48 ¥9.90

139.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$7.63 ¥51.0

136.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.18 ¥14.61

374.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$8.99 ¥60.1

194.44%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.89 ¥12.63

318.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.34 ¥8.95

156.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.77 ¥11.83

218.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.12 ¥7.48

472.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.89 ¥5.97

316.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.01 ¥6.75

149.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.43 ¥2.90

567.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.48 ¥3.21

141.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.42 ¥22.85

-1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$12.16 ¥81.3

53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.78 ¥5.21

192.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.18 ¥7.89

180.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.16 ¥1.08

606.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.06 ¥7.10

232.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.47 ¥3.12

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.57 ¥50.6

15.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.31 ¥8.76

10.69%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.3K ¥129.1K

53.64%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$15.6K ¥104.3K

80.82%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$66.3 ¥443

217.99%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$15.68 ¥105

125.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$8.86 ¥59.3

132.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$4.40 ¥29.44

268.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$7.61 ¥50.9

49.41%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$213 ¥1,425

822.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$11.7K ¥78.4K

94.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$29.86 ¥200

92.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$14.92 ¥99.8

121.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$76.0 ¥508

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$98.4 ¥658

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$377 ¥2,518

567.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,338 ¥8,949

787.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$485 ¥3,243

641.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.46

17.92%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Longyan

$178 38.5% 63% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Longyan

$91 19.7% 65.9% $176

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Longyan

$75 16.3% 59.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Longyan

$99 21.4% 10.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 81.1% $65

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Longyan

$4 * 0.9% 93% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 642% 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $23.00 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $178 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,559,545

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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

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Between locations

Seoul Longyan 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,804 in Seoul, $462 in Longyan – roughly 291% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,707 per month in Seoul and $693 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul and $23.00 in Longyan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 170% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Longyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Longyan – 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 Longyan. 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.