Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Shenzhen

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $1,134 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Shenzhen $1,134

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,734 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Shenzhen $1,734

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $2,333 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Shenzhen $2,333

Seoul costs about 61% more than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Shenzhen is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.64 ¥24.33

150.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$29.70 ¥199

125.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.12 ¥34.18

44.92%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.21 ¥21.47

27.10%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.59 ¥3.91

171.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.33 ¥2.19

142.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.48 ¥9.88

146.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.24 ¥14.98

165.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.55 ¥10.39

32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$1.64 ¥10.97

87.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$1.09 ¥7.29

286.24%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.76 ¥11.78

102.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$20.95 ¥140

-14.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$3.38 ¥22.62

214.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$14.38 ¥96.1

83.87%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.31 ¥15.47

221.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.60 ¥10.70

120.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.89 ¥12.61

210.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.41 ¥9.44

351.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.07 ¥7.16

250.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$1.24 ¥8.28

100.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.59 ¥3.95

394.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.59 ¥3.97

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$4.54 ¥30.35

-27.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$11.82 ¥79.0

56.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$0.92 ¥6.16

147.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.76 ¥11.76

86.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.59 ¥3.92

93.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$21.95 ¥147

107.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.46 ¥9.75

138.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.38 ¥2.55

57.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$7.13 ¥47.67

22.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.35 ¥9.05

11.11%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.3K ¥129.3K

50.50%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$18.6K ¥124.2K

51.74%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$63.8 ¥426

227.43%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$10.04 ¥67.1

249.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$16.28 ¥109

30.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$50.3 ¥336

14.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$17.02 ¥114

-6.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$7.28 ¥48.63

55.63%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$523 ¥3,496

263.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$23.8K ¥159.1K

-5.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$55.1 ¥368

6.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$40.53 ¥271

-20.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$72.0 ¥481

-2.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$92.4 ¥617

-10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$764 ¥5,103

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$485 ¥3,238

28.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$1,941 ¥13.0K

28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$845 ¥5,650

50.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$14.0K ¥93.7K

112.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$6,137 ¥41.0K

93.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,693 ¥11.3K

115.49%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Shenzhen

$484 42.8% 22.3% $139

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Shenzhen

$249 22% 48% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Shenzhen

$90 8% 66% $175

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Shenzhen

$99 8.7% 46.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 6.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 19% $15

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Shenzhen

$28 2.4% 51% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $764 in Shenzhen. 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 115% 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 $30.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $249 – making Shenzhen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

12,528,300

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 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 Shenzhen 2,080 km ≈ 3 h 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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 61% more than Shenzhen, 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 $2,733 per month in Seoul and $1,701 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 107% less in Shenzhen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $523 in Shenzhen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shenzhen, where all-in costs run around $1,134, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Shenzhen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shenzhen – 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 Shenzhen. 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.