Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Tonghua

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $632 in Tonghua, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Tonghua $632

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,034 in Tonghua, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Tonghua $1,034

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,436 in Tonghua, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Tonghua $1,436

Seoul costs about 186% more than Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Tonghua is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.20 ¥14.74

313.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.19 ¥148

200.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.09 ¥34.01

47.15%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.25 ¥15.07

86.22%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.47 ¥3.15

229.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.35 ¥2.35

125.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.79 ¥5.25

360.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$1.85 ¥12.38

231.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.68 ¥11.23

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.14 ¥14.32

42.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$1.07 ¥7.16

293.46%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.06 ¥7.09

233.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.11 ¥87.6

37.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.94 ¥19.66

252.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$6.54 ¥43.73

304.74%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$0.99 ¥6.60

698.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.08 ¥7.21

218.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$0.81 ¥5.41

596.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.08 ¥7.23

493.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.92 ¥6.17

303.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.02 ¥6.85

147.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.59 ¥3.94

386.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.69 ¥4.60

68.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.64 ¥24.33

-7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.75 ¥78.5

59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.65 ¥4.33

250.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.10 ¥7.38

200.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.07

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$17.92 ¥120

160.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$0.92 ¥6.14

282.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.38 ¥2.56

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.07 ¥20.51

185.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.31 ¥8.74

10.69%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.3K ¥129.1K

53.66%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.0K ¥114.0K

65.40%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$23.25 ¥155

806.92%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$5.85 ¥39.12

504.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$8.98 ¥60.1

129.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.90 ¥280

37.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$15.09 ¥101

7.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$5.89 ¥39.36

93.04%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$294 ¥1,969

568.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$15.0K ¥100.6K

51.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$22.05 ¥147

160.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$34.01 ¥227

-2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$58.8 ¥393

19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$69.4 ¥464

21.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$294 ¥1,965

198.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$179 ¥1,199

248.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$639 ¥4,273

293.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$375 ¥2,509

242.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,528 ¥23.6K

760.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,980 ¥13.2K

499.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$501 ¥3,350

618.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.00%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Tonghua

$179 28.4% 71.3% $445

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Tonghua

$185 29.3% 61.5% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Tonghua

$38 6% 85.7% $229

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Tonghua

$71 11.2% 61.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Tonghua

$83 13.1% 24.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 33.3% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Tonghua

$22 3.5% 62.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $294 in Tonghua. 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 618% 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 $22.00 in Tonghua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $185 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

446,917

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 186% more than Tonghua, 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 $2,707 per month in Seoul and $947 in Tonghua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 161% less in Tonghua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $294 in Tonghua. 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 Tonghua, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Tonghua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tonghua – 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 Tonghua. 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.