Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Qinhuangdao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Seoul versus $714 in Qinhuangdao.

Seoul $1,804
Qinhuangdao $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Seoul versus $1,135 in Qinhuangdao.

Seoul $2,877
Qinhuangdao $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,950 in Seoul versus $1,556 in Qinhuangdao.

Seoul $3,950
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Living in Seoul is roughly 153% more expensive than in Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Qinhuangdao is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.76 ¥18.44

229.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$21.79 ¥146

205.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.88 ¥32.64

53.48%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$3.04 ¥20.33

37.83%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.47 ¥3.13

229.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.27 ¥1.79

192.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.92 ¥6.18

295.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.13 ¥14.24

188.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.85 ¥12.37

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.55 ¥10.38

96.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.89 ¥5.94

373.03%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.53 ¥10.25

131.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.05 ¥87.3

38.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.11 ¥20.80

232.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$10.33 ¥69.1

156.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.87 ¥12.52

322.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.25 ¥8.36

175.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.47 ¥9.82

283.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.15 ¥7.66

457.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.73 ¥4.90

408.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.95 ¥6.36

165.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.60 ¥4.01

378.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.51 ¥3.42

127.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.05 ¥20.41

10.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$10.69 ¥71.5

75.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.79 ¥5.28

188.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.64 ¥10.94

101.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.27 ¥1.79

318.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$16.97 ¥113

175.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.42 ¥9.52

147.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.33 ¥2.19

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$6.62 ¥44.23

32.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.14 ¥7.61

27.19%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.2K ¥128.4K

54.47%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.1K ¥114.3K

64.90%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$44.64 ¥298

372.36%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$9.87 ¥66.0

258.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.90 ¥79.5

72.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$42.14 ¥282

36.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.09 ¥94.2

14.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.79 ¥38.72

96.37%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$337 ¥2,254

483.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.2K ¥114.7K

32.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$44.18 ¥295

30.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$30.35 ¥203

9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$71.8 ¥480

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$70.6 ¥472

19.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$276 ¥1,843

218.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$191 ¥1,277

226.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$601 ¥4,016

318.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$362 ¥2,423

255.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,063 ¥20.5K

891.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$2,068 ¥13.8K

474.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.89

4.88%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 69.4% $433

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 58.5% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 75.1% $200

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 54.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 11.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 33.2% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 63.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $878 in Seoul and $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $22.00 in Qinhuangdao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $199 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,987,605

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Qinhuangdao 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Qinhuangdao differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($1,804 vs $714 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,707 in Seoul and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $878 in Seoul versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Qinhuangdao – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.