Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Nanchang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $648 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
Learn more

Nanchang Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Nanchang

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $648 in Nanchang, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Nanchang $648

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,058 in Nanchang, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Nanchang $1,058

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,467 in Nanchang, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Nanchang $1,467

Seoul costs about 177% more than Nanchang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Nanchang is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.35 ¥15.71

274.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$18.21 ¥122

275.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$4.81 ¥32.19

56.76%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$2.59 ¥17.29

63.32%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.44 ¥2.92

270.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.27 ¥1.81

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$1.31 ¥8.76

177.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.89 ¥12.67

225.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$2.05 ¥13.71

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$2.40 ¥16.08

30.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.84 ¥5.64

414.29%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.67 ¥11.15

116.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$13.25 ¥88.6

34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.95 ¥26.45

164.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$11.77 ¥78.7

119.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.99 ¥13.29

284.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.08 ¥7.22

212.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.91 ¥12.74

204.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.81 ¥12.13

254.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.91 ¥6.11

312.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$1.13 ¥7.54

124.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.61 ¥4.10

365.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.43 ¥2.90

158.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.07 ¥20.51

9.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.42 ¥83.1

48.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.78 ¥5.20

207.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.52 ¥10.19

121.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.26 ¥1.75

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$14.93 ¥99.8

208.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.24 ¥8.26

181.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.31 ¥2.08

103.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$7.29 ¥48.76

21.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.25 ¥8.34

20.80%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

53.25%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.9K ¥119.4K

58.03%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$34.93 ¥234

522.73%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$9.27 ¥62.0

279.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$13.34 ¥89.3

59.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$42.85 ¥287

35.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$19.61 ¥131

-17.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$6.42 ¥42.92

76.17%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$326 ¥2,177

498.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$16.8K ¥112.2K

36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$37.86 ¥253

50.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$22.07 ¥148

51.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$87.6 ¥586

-18.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$60.7 ¥406

36.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$223 ¥1,493

303.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$118 ¥791

417.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$451 ¥3,014

460.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$257 ¥1,719

392.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$2,008 ¥13.4K

1365.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$1,624 ¥10.9K

632.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$745 ¥4,985

389.71%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Nanchang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Nanchang

$118 18.3% 80.7% $493

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Nanchang

$227 35% 52.4% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Nanchang

$58 8.9% 79% $216

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Nanchang

$77 11.9% 57.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Nanchang

$94 14.5% 14.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Nanchang

$56 8.6% 31% $25

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Nanchang

$19 2.9% 67.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $223 in Nanchang. 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 390% 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 $18.00 in Nanchang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $227 – making Nanchang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

5,042,566

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Nanchang 1,430 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 Nanchang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 177% more than Nanchang, 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 $973 in Nanchang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, 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 $648 in Nanchang. That's a gap of about 177%.

Public transport costs about 209% less in Nanchang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanchang, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Nanchang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchang – 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 Nanchang. 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.