Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Quanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $815 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Quanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Seoul versus $815 in Quanzhou.

Seoul $1,794
Quanzhou $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Seoul versus $1,204 in Quanzhou.

Seoul $2,863
Quanzhou $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Seoul versus $1,593 in Quanzhou.

Seoul $3,931
Quanzhou $1,593

Living in Seoul is roughly 120% more expensive than in Quanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 33% above, Quanzhou is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.20 ¥14.70

300.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$30.02 ¥201

127.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$6.48 ¥43.35

16.36%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$3.26 ¥21.82

29.75%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.96 ¥6.40

69.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.27 ¥1.80

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$2.95 ¥19.70

23.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$1.75 ¥11.72

251.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.45 ¥9.72

38.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$0.86 ¥5.74

263.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.93 ¥6.23

364.52%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.53 ¥10.27

135.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$7.68 ¥51.4

132.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$2.30 ¥15.36

354.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$5.12 ¥34.25

403.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.46 ¥9.74

424.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$0.99 ¥6.62

241.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$0.72 ¥4.80

706.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.08 ¥7.21

493.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.46 ¥3.11

715.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$1.05 ¥7.00

141.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.16 ¥1.09

1675.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.48 ¥3.18

131.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.15 ¥21.08

6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$7.67 ¥51.3

141.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.88 ¥5.92

172.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.38 ¥9.20

144.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.31 ¥2.07

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$23.44 ¥157

96.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.22 ¥8.18

186.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.35 ¥2.34

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$9.01 ¥60.3

-1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.25 ¥8.36

20.80%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$17.6K ¥117.6K

66.40%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$15.7K ¥104.9K

79.78%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$52.8 ¥353

312.28%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$7.95 ¥53.2

342.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$12.15 ¥81.3

75.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

$54.4 ¥364

6.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

$18.63 ¥125

-13.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$5.83 ¥38.96

94.00%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$514 ¥3,438

278.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$11.8K ¥79.0K

93.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$20.64 ¥138

176.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$34.07 ¥228

-2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$92.7 ¥620

-22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$96.5 ¥646

-14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$277 ¥1,851

225.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$303 ¥2,027

101.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$503 ¥3,362

402.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$410 ¥2,743

208.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$3,004 ¥20.1K

879.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$2,008 ¥13.4K

492.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$829 ¥5,545

340.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.15

29.52%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quanzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Quanzhou

$303 37.2% 50.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Quanzhou

$137 16.8% 71.3% $340

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Quanzhou

$73 8.9% 73.4% $201

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Quanzhou

$99 12.2% 46% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Quanzhou

$110 13.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Quanzhou

$66 8.1% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Quanzhou

$28 3.4% 51.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Seoul and $277 in Quanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 340% 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 $30.00 in Quanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $477 vs $137 per month, with Quanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

8,128,530

💱 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 Quanzhou 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Quanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Quanzhou differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $815 including rent). Quanzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 340% 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 $277 in Quanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quanzhou – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $68.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,794 per month in Seoul versus $815 in Quanzhou – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $815 in Quanzhou versus $1,794 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.