Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
Learn more

Nantong Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Nantong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $750 in Nantong.

Seoul $1,794
Nantong $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,237 in Nantong.

Seoul $2,863
Nantong $1,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,725 in Nantong.

Seoul $3,931
Nantong $1,725

Living in Seoul is roughly 139% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Nantong is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$3.01 ¥20.15

192.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$23.57 ¥158

190.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.43 ¥29.64

70.20%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.79 ¥18.69

51.61%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.63 ¥4.23

158.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.33 ¥2.23

124.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$0.72 ¥4.84

405.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.18 ¥14.56

182.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.61 ¥10.76

24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$1.52 ¥10.19

105.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.79 ¥5.26

446.84%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.73 ¥11.55

108.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

$6.67 ¥44.59

167.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

$3.69 ¥24.66

183.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$10.37 ¥69.3

148.79%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$2.30 ¥15.37

233.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.40 ¥9.34

141.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$1.52 ¥10.14

282.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.46 ¥9.78

339.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.67 ¥4.51

459.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.90 ¥6.04

182.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

$0.67 ¥4.46

323.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.50 ¥3.37

122.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$3.44 ¥23.00

-2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$9.14 ¥61.1

102.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.74 ¥4.97

224.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.65 ¥11.06

104.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.21 ¥1.40

442.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$14.73 ¥98.5

213.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.93 ¥12.89

80.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.38 ¥2.55

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$7.00 ¥46.78

26.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.21 ¥8.07

24.79%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

49.25%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$18.8K ¥125.8K

49.92%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$47.85 ¥320

354.59%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$7.48 ¥50.0

369.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$14.96 ¥100

42.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$114 ¥763

-49.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$11.96 ¥80.0

34.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$7.68 ¥51.3

47.27%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$203 ¥1,356

860.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

$12.0K ¥80.1K

90.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$58.0 ¥388

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$42.62 ¥285

-21.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$66.3 ¥443

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$110 ¥736

-25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$213 ¥1,422

323.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$142 ¥946

332.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$696 ¥4,656

262.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$354 ¥2,367

257.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$3,720 ¥24.9K

690.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,249 ¥15.0K

429.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,289 ¥8,622

183.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.5

16.57%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Nantong

$142 18.9% 76.9% $470

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 61.8% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 74.3% $204

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Nantong

$83 11% 55% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Nantong

$125 16.6% 13.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Nantong

$130 17.3% 60.5% $49

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 66.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $213 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 183% 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: $68.0 in Seoul vs $24.00 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

7,726,635

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seoul vs Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Nantong differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $750 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 183% 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: $901 in Seoul versus $213 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,948 in Seoul versus $203 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 162% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Nantong versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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 Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.