Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Taiyuan

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

A single person spends $1,794 per month in Seoul vs $589 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Seoul $1,794
Taiyuan $589

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Seoul vs $913 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Seoul $2,863
Taiyuan $913

A family of three spends $3,931 per month in Seoul vs $1,238 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Seoul $3,931
Taiyuan $1,238

Seoul costs about 205% more than Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Taiyuan is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$2.28 ¥15.23

285.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 ₩90.9K

$14.73 ¥98.5

364.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.0K

$4.40 ¥29.41

71.36%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₩5,624

$2.64 ¥17.62

60.23%

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

$1.63 ₩2,167

$0.47 ¥3.12

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩985

$0.29 ¥1.92

155.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,843

$1.22 ¥8.13

198.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₩8,175

$2.15 ¥14.38

186.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 ₩5,744

$0.83 ¥5.52

420.48%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,794

$1.01 ¥6.76

257.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.80 ₩34.3K

$13.02 ¥87.0

98.16%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.2K

$1.87 ¥12.52

309.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,499

$1.38 ¥9.21

144.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,723

$0.81 ¥5.41

617.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,520

$1.16 ¥7.77

452.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩4,983

$0.48 ¥3.20

681.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₩3,375

$0.29 ¥1.91

775.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$0.46 ¥3.08

141.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₩4,455

$2.95 ¥19.75

13.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$7.56 ¥50.6

144.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₩3,185

$0.87 ¥5.80

175.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$1.45 ¥9.72

132.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.31 ¥2.08

267.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.3K

$13.65 ¥91.3

237.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₩4,643

$1.18 ¥7.90

195.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩840

$0.23 ¥1.53

173.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$3.73 ¥24.91

137.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₩2,005

$1.25 ¥8.34

20.80%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$20.0K ¥133.6K

46.50%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.5K ¥117.3K

60.87%

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

$218 ₩289.2K

$94.3 ¥631

130.62%

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

$35.15 ₩46.7K

$10.27 ¥68.7

242.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.29 ₩28.3K

$12.74 ¥85.2

67.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ₩77.2K

$45.17 ¥302

28.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 ₩21.4K

$8.76 ¥58.6

83.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$6.64 ¥44.37

70.33%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩75.8K

$27.60 ¥185

106.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 ₩44.4K

$67.2 ¥449

-50.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₩95.0K

$74.0 ¥495

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩109.7K

$59.4 ¥397

38.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ₩1.2M

$223 ¥1,491

304.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩813.5K

$114 ¥760

438.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 ₩3.4M

$556 ¥3,719

354.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 ₩1.7M

$259 ¥1,733

388.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$2,629 ¥17.6K

1019.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,252 ¥8,368

851.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,650 ₩4.9M

$928 ¥6,202

293.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.83

6.53%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$612 34.1%

Taiyuan

$114 19.3% 81.4% $498

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$477 26.6%

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5% 78.4% $374

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$274 15.3%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 57.2% $157

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 58.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Taiyuan

$103 17.4% 6.7% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$81 4.5%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 27.6% $22

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.2%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 70% $40

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 $223 in Taiyuan. 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 293% 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $103 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

21:29 9:29 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,525,300

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Taiyuan 1,270 km ≈ 2 h 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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 205% more than Taiyuan, 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 $883 in Taiyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,794 in Seoul and $589 in Taiyuan. That's a gap of about 205%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Seoul and $15.00 in Taiyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.