Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Qingdao, Shandong

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $756 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Qingdao, Shandong

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $756 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Qingdao, Shandong $756

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,233 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Qingdao, Shandong $1,233

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,709 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Qingdao, Shandong $1,709

Seoul costs about 141% more than Qingdao, Shandong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Qingdao, Shandong is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$2.91 ¥19.43

212.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$17.98 ¥120

272.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$4.46 ¥29.79

66.37%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.66 ¥17.78

53.38%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.54 ¥3.64

196.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.32 ¥2.15

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.11 ¥7.42

228.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.67 ¥17.82

122.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.91 ¥12.73

7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.35 ¥9.05

128.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.97 ¥6.50

334.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.29 ¥8.63

176.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$16.27 ¥109

10.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$4.36 ¥29.12

144.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$9.66 ¥64.6

173.71%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$1.41 ¥9.43

426.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.20 ¥7.99

194.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.73 ¥11.55

239.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.26 ¥8.39

405.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$0.68 ¥4.53

451.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$0.96 ¥6.44

159.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.94 ¥6.26

210.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.61 ¥4.09

88.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$3.79 ¥25.34

-13.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$14.69 ¥98.2

25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.01 ¥6.75

125.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.57 ¥10.50

108.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.31 ¥2.10

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$18.25 ¥122

149.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.50 ¥10.03

132.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.41 ¥2.74

46.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$9.06 ¥60.5

-3.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.31 ¥8.74

14.50%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.1K ¥127.4K

52.79%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$16.6K ¥110.7K

70.23%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$69.2 ¥463

201.70%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$6.73 ¥44.95

421.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$7.73 ¥51.7

174.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$20.95 ¥140

173.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$18.21 ¥122

-12.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.25 ¥41.79

81.28%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$365 ¥2,439

421.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$17.6K ¥117.4K

28.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$52.5 ¥351

12.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$49.25 ¥329

-34.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$93.9 ¥628

-25.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$91.2 ¥609

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$353 ¥2,362

150.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$199 ¥1,328

213.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$757 ¥5,056

229.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$418 ¥2,796

204.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$3,573 ¥23.9K

735.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$2,172 ¥14.5K

445.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,196 ¥7,995

205.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.37

21.07%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Qingdao, Shandong

$199 25.7% 68.1% $425

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Qingdao, Shandong

$221 28.7% 53.8% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 68.4% $181

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Qingdao, Shandong

$83 10.7% 54.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7% 17.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Qingdao, Shandong

$33 4.3% 58.2% $47

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 3% 59.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $353 in Qingdao, Shandong. 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 205% 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 $67.0 in Seoul versus $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $221 – making Qingdao, Shandong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

10,071,722

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Qingdao, Shandong 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Qingdao, Shandong

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 Qingdao, Shandong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,134 in Qingdao, Shandong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 116% 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 $67.0 in Seoul and $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qingdao, Shandong, where all-in costs run around $756, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Qingdao, Shandong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qingdao, Shandong – 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 Qingdao, Shandong. 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.