Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Panjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Panjin: $692 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Panjin
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Panjin Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Panjin

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Panjin

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $692 in Panjin, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Panjin $692

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,079 in Panjin, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Panjin $1,079

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,466 in Panjin, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Panjin $1,466

Seoul costs about 159% more than Panjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Panjin is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.98 ¥19.92

195.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$14.99 ¥100

356.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$3.65 ¥24.42

106.58%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$2.45 ¥16.41

72.65%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.35 ¥2.36

365.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.35 ¥2.36

111.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$0.86 ¥5.75

323.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.84 ¥12.31

234.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.53 ¥10.21

31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$2.39 ¥16.00

30.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.62 ¥4.17

596.77%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$0.87 ¥5.82

314.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$11.34 ¥75.8

57.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$1.50 ¥10.04

596.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$14.76 ¥98.7

74.80%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.47 ¥9.80

421.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.22 ¥8.15

177.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.63 ¥10.91

256.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.47 ¥9.84

336.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.57 ¥3.83

557.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$0.88 ¥5.86

188.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.43 ¥2.86

560.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.64 ¥4.26

73.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.71 ¥24.82

-9.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$16.74 ¥112

10.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.47 ¥3.12

410.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.10 ¥7.37

206.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.29 ¥1.91

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$15.75 ¥105

192.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$0.93 ¥6.20

275.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.29 ¥1.91

117.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$3.01 ¥20.10

194.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.18 ¥7.92

27.97%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.7K ¥132.0K

48.34%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$14.8K ¥99.2K

90.13%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$45.36 ¥303

379.54%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$4.61 ¥30.85

662.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$7.55 ¥50.5

181.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$42.21 ¥282

37.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$14.91 ¥99.7

7.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.97 ¥39.90

89.45%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$296 ¥1,982

557.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$21.6K ¥144.7K

5.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$44.54 ¥298

28.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$33.98 ¥227

-1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$60.9 ¥407

17.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$69.4 ¥464

18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$329 ¥2,201

173.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$181 ¥1,212

237.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$581 ¥3,888

334.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$331 ¥2,211

282.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$3,032 ¥20.3K

870.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$2,074 ¥13.9K

473.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$604 ¥4,039

504.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.9

4.62%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panjin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Panjin

$181 26.2% 70.4% $431

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Panjin

$210 30.4% 55.9% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Panjin

$58 8.3% 79% $216

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Panjin

$75 10.9% 59.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Panjin

$94 13.6% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Panjin

$54 7.8% 32.9% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Panjin

$19 2.8% 66.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $329 in Panjin. 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 504% 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 $15.00 in Panjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $210 – making Panjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Panjin

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,389,691

💱 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 = 1,499 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 Panjin 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Panjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 159% more than Panjin, 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 $1,037 in Panjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 127% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $15.00 in Panjin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panjin, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Panjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panjin – 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 Panjin. 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.