Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Luoyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $659 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Luoyang
Learn more

Luoyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Luoyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $659 in Luoyang.

Seoul $1,804
Luoyang $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,067 in Luoyang.

Seoul $2,877
Luoyang $1,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,475 in Luoyang.

Seoul $3,950
Luoyang $1,475

Living in Seoul is roughly 174% more expensive than in Luoyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Luoyang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.69 ¥24.67

146.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$29.56 ¥198

125.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.74 ¥38.40

30.49%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.69 ¥24.68

13.55%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.46 ¥3.11

236.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.27 ¥1.82

192.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.26 ¥8.41

188.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$3.04 ¥20.35

101.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.93 ¥12.89

9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.26 ¥15.08

34.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.04 ¥6.94

304.81%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.42 ¥9.53

149.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.38 ¥89.5

34.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.43 ¥22.95

201.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$9.18 ¥61.4

188.34%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$0.96 ¥6.41

723.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.31 ¥8.79

162.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.50 ¥10.02

276.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.26 ¥8.44

408.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.73 ¥4.90

408.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.87 ¥5.85

189.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.43 ¥2.90

567.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.83 ¥5.56

39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.68 ¥11.20

100.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$13.35 ¥89.3

40.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.44 ¥2.92

418.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$2.13 ¥14.23

55.40%

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

$17.84 ¥119

161.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.23 ¥8.22

186.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.36 ¥2.38

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.04 ¥47.06

24.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.29 ¥8.60

12.40%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.6K ¥131.0K

51.42%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

61.18%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$43.38 ¥290

386.08%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$5.90 ¥39.43

499.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$10.57 ¥70.7

94.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$22.85 ¥153

152.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$11.74 ¥78.5

37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.53 ¥36.96

105.61%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$197 ¥1,315

900.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.6K ¥117.7K

29.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$49.15 ¥329

16.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$30.13 ¥201

9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$66.0 ¥441

6.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$78.9 ¥527

6.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$188 ¥1,258

366.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$126 ¥840

396.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$439 ¥2,936

472.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$225 ¥1,507

471.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$2,154 ¥14.4K

1310.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,409 ¥9,422

743.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$637 ¥4,259

464.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.45

-8.31%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Luoyang

$126 19.1% 79.9% $498

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Luoyang

$210 31.9% 56.1% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Luoyang

$60 9.1% 77.6% $207

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Luoyang

$106 16.1% 42.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Luoyang

$101 15.3% 8.5% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Luoyang

$34 5.2% 57.9% $47

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Luoyang

$22 3.3% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $188 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 465% 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 Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $210 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,926,000

💱 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 Luoyang 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 174% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 465% 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 $188 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $197 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 128% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $659 in Luoyang versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang 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 Luoyang 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 Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.