Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $758 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Mudanjiang

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $758 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Mudanjiang $758

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,192 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Mudanjiang $1,192

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,627 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Mudanjiang $1,627

Seoul costs about 137% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Mudanjiang is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.00 ¥20.09

193.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$13.67 ¥91.4

400.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$6.08 ¥40.67

24.01%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.69 ¥18.00

57.25%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.43 ¥2.87

279.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.34 ¥2.25

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.04 ¥6.98

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.05 ¥13.70

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.84 ¥12.29

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.59 ¥10.62

96.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.92 ¥6.18

369.57%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.62 ¥10.82

122.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$11.77 ¥78.7

51.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.41 ¥22.78

206.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$11.24 ¥75.2

129.54%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.90 ¥12.69

303.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.28 ¥8.56

164.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.50 ¥10.01

287.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.40 ¥9.33

357.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.73 ¥4.87

413.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.94 ¥6.31

170.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.60 ¥4.00

373.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.59 ¥3.93

88.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.53 ¥23.61

-5.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$11.48 ¥76.8

61.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.88 ¥5.85

172.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.47 ¥9.84

129.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.29 ¥1.91

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$18.98 ¥127

142.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.42 ¥9.49

145.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.35 ¥2.32

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$6.34 ¥42.40

39.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.45 ¥9.68

4.14%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$20.0K ¥133.6K

46.52%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$16.1K ¥107.7K

75.12%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$57.8 ¥387

276.20%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$9.32 ¥62.3

277.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$11.00 ¥73.5

93.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$40.45 ¥270

43.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$14.75 ¥98.6

9.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.26 ¥41.83

80.67%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$375 ¥2,510

418.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$17.3K ¥115.7K

32.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$42.02 ¥281

35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$38.37 ¥257

-12.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$78.1 ¥522

-8.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$82.0 ¥548

0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$310 ¥2,076

190.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$204 ¥1,364

199.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$686 ¥4,589

268.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$421 ¥2,815

200.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,884 ¥26.0K

657.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,996 ¥13.3K

496.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

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 11, 2026

Last update for Mudanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Mudanjiang

$204 26.9% 66.7% $408

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Mudanjiang

$204 27% 57.1% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.3% 71.5% $196

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mudanjiang

$87 11.5% 52.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mudanjiang

$108 14.3% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Mudanjiang

$53 7% 34.4% $28

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Mudanjiang

$23 3.1% 59.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $310 in Mudanjiang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul versus $14.00 in Mudanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $204 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

965,154

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Mudanjiang 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 137% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,692 per month in Seoul and $1,137 in Mudanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $758 in Mudanjiang. That's a gap of about 137%.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Mudanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $758, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mudanjiang – 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 Mudanjiang. 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.