Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
Learn more

Shantou Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Shantou

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

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

Seoul $1,794
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Shantou $1,516

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.8K

$2.29 ¥15.35

284.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩91.6K

$23.70 ¥158

188.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$5.17 ¥34.59

45.84%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,664

$3.38 ¥22.63

25.15%

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

$1.63 ₩2,182

$0.47 ¥3.12

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩992

$0.31 ¥2.05

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,878

$0.88 ¥5.92

313.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,233

$2.13 ¥14.28

188.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,698

$1.60 ¥10.71

25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,194

$1.45 ¥9.73

115.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,785

$0.77 ¥5.18

461.04%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,828

$1.69 ¥11.33

113.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.9K

$13.63 ¥91.1

30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.43 ¥22.91

204.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.6K

$13.16 ¥88.0

96.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$1.95 ¥13.03

292.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,531

$1.50 ¥10.05

125.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,778

$1.81 ¥12.14

220.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,580

$1.30 ¥8.70

393.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,018

$0.82 ¥5.49

357.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,400

$1.06 ¥7.11

139.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,809

$0.59 ¥3.96

381.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,483

$0.43 ¥2.88

158.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,487

$3.69 ¥24.71

-9.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$12.00 ¥80.2

54.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,208

$0.83 ¥5.57

189.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,512

$1.79 ¥11.98

88.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,531

$0.36 ¥2.41

216.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

$24.27 ¥162

89.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,677

$1.53 ¥10.24

128.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩846

$0.38 ¥2.56

65.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.9K

$7.31 ¥48.86

21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,020

$1.23 ¥8.25

22.76%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

47.88%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$18.0K ¥120.5K

56.55%

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

$218 ₩291.3K

$56.7 ¥379

283.90%

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

$35.15 ₩47.1K

$8.89 ¥59.5

295.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.5K

$13.86 ¥92.7

53.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.1K

$7.54 ¥50.5

50.00%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$540 ¥3,614

260.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.6M

$24.2K ¥162.1K

-5.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.4K

$55.6 ¥372

2.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.7K

$39.70 ¥265

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.7K

$73.1 ¥489

-2.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$91.4 ¥611

-9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$298 ¥1,991

202.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

$151 ¥1,011

304.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$602 ¥4,027

319.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$294 ¥1,969

330.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.4M

$2,278 ¥15.2K

1191.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.9M

$4,469 ¥29.9K

166.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$1,062 ¥7,099

243.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.35

21.79%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 75.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Shantou

$214 31% 55.1% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 71% $195

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 53.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 6.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 81.3% $66

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 49.1% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Seoul versus $298 in Shantou. 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 244% 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 $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

5,389,328

💱 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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Between locations

Seoul Shantou 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 159% more than Shantou, 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 $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Shantou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $540 in Shantou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.