Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Rui'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $715 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
Learn more

Rui'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Rui'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $715 in Rui'an.

Seoul $1,822
Rui'an $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $1,141 in Rui'an.

Seoul $2,847
Rui'an $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $1,566 in Rui'an.

Seoul $3,872
Rui'an $1,566

Living in Seoul is roughly 155% more expensive than in Rui'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seoul is 36% above, Rui'an is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.86 ¥19.11

218.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.4K

$21.28 ¥142

214.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,900

$4.79 ¥32.00

54.91%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,448

$2.97 ¥19.85

37.37%

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

$1.60 ₩2,132

$0.44 ¥2.93

263.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,074

$0.27 ¥1.80

196.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,867

$0.88 ¥5.85

314.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,924

$2.04 ¥13.61

191.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,731

$1.88 ¥12.53

9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,113

$1.61 ¥10.77

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,623

$0.96 ¥6.41

338.54%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,765

$1.54 ¥10.32

131.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.0K

$12.88 ¥86.1

39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.2K

$3.10 ¥20.72

243.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.3K

$10.28 ¥68.7

157.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,906

$1.80 ¥12.01

312.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,713

$1.20 ¥8.01

194.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,834

$1.49 ¥9.95

293.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,500

$1.10 ¥7.32

479.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,008

$0.75 ¥5.04

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,323

$0.89 ¥5.92

179.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,895

$0.56 ¥3.77

421.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,535

$0.50 ¥3.37

130.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,390

$3.12 ¥20.85

5.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.7K

$10.61 ¥70.9

74.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,044

$0.74 ¥4.96

208.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,380

$1.58 ¥10.57

107.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,519

$0.27 ¥1.78

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.7K

$16.92 ¥113

168.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,644

$1.42 ¥9.47

145.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩800

$0.35 ¥2.37

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.6K

$6.72 ¥44.88

29.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩1,996

$1.13 ¥7.56

32.74%

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

$29.1K ₩38.9M

$19.7K ¥132.0K

47.46%

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

$28.2K ₩37.6M

$17.4K ¥116.0K

62.41%

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

$209 ₩278.8K

$45.23 ¥302

361.80%

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

$35.13 ₩46.9K

$9.67 ¥64.6

263.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.3K

$11.80 ¥78.9

79.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.5K

$41.87 ¥280

36.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.2K

$13.75 ¥91.9

15.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.1K

$5.76 ¥38.46

96.70%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$329 ¥2,199

478.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.1M

$16.6K ¥110.7K

35.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.6K

$43.49 ¥291

35.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩42.9K

$30.24 ¥202

6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.6K

$72.0 ¥481

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.1K

$72.5 ¥485

13.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$280 ¥1,874

215.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩832.2K

$195 ¥1,301

220.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$590 ¥3,941

322.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$354 ¥2,364

260.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩39.8M

$3,050 ¥20.4K

878.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.8M

$1,998 ¥13.3K

493.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

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 4, 2026

Last update for Rui'an: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Rui'an

$195 27.2% 68.8% $429

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Rui'an

$198 27.6% 58.7% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Rui'an

$67 9.3% 74.9% $198

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Rui'an

$84 11.8% 54.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Rui'an

$98 13.7% 10.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Rui'an

$53 7.5% 33.3% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Rui'an

$21 3% 62.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $280 in Rui'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $21.00 in Rui'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $198 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

213,600

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 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 Rui'an 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Rui'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rui'an wins on cost – living expenses run 155% lower than in Seoul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rui'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,733 in Seoul and $1,072 in Rui'an 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: $885 in Seoul versus $280 in Rui'an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rui'an – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Seoul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Seoul versus $715 in Rui'an – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $715 in Rui'an versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an 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 Rui'an 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 Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.