Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Wuwei

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuwei: $733 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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 Wuwei
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Wuwei Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Wuwei

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Wuwei

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Seoul vs $733 in Wuwei, rent included.

Seoul $1,804
Wuwei $733

A couple spends around $2,877 per month in Seoul vs $1,180 in Wuwei, rent included.

Seoul $2,877
Wuwei $1,180

A family of three spends $3,950 per month in Seoul vs $1,627 in Wuwei, rent included.

Seoul $3,950
Wuwei $1,627

Seoul costs about 146% more than Wuwei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 33% above the global median, while Wuwei is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$3.08 ¥20.56

195.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$22.44 ¥150

197.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.22 ¥34.89

43.49%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.84 ¥18.98

47.54%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.48 ¥3.19

222.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.31 ¥2.09

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$1.10 ¥7.38

230.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.13 ¥14.25

188.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.87 ¥12.48

12.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$1.66 ¥11.12

83.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.96 ¥6.40

338.54%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.60 ¥10.72

121.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$13.21 ¥88.3

36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$3.28 ¥21.94

215.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$11.10 ¥74.2

138.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.88 ¥12.58

320.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.33 ¥8.88

158.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.56 ¥10.42

261.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.27 ¥8.47

404.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$0.74 ¥4.95

401.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$0.88 ¥5.91

186.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.59 ¥3.91

386.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.59 ¥3.94

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.66 ¥24.46

-7.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.48 ¥76.8

63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.81 ¥5.41

181.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.62 ¥10.80

104.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.31 ¥2.10

264.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$18.18 ¥122

157.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.48 ¥9.89

137.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.32 ¥2.16

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$6.98 ¥46.68

25.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.24 ¥8.32

16.94%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.2K ¥128.4K

54.45%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

61.11%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$58.3 ¥390

261.93%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.80 ¥58.9

301.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$11.15 ¥74.5

84.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$41.14 ¥275

40.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

$14.81 ¥99.0

9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$6.26 ¥41.83

81.63%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$413 ¥2,758

376.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$17.3K ¥115.5K

31.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$43.42 ¥290

32.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$33.64 ¥225

-1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$75.6 ¥505

-7.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$75.1 ¥502

12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

$303 ¥2,026

189.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

$180 ¥1,203

246.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

$619 ¥4,141

305.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

$380 ¥2,544

238.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$3,451 ¥23.1K

780.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,938 ¥13.0K

513.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$612 ¥4,091

488.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Wuwei: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Wuwei

$180 24.6% 71.2% $444

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Wuwei

$208 28.5% 56.5% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Wuwei

$78 10.7% 70.7% $189

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Wuwei

$87 11.9% 52.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Wuwei

$103 14% 7% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Wuwei

$54 7.3% 33.3% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Wuwei

$23 3.1% 61.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Seoul versus $303 in Wuwei. 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 488% 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 Wuwei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $208 – making Wuwei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Wuwei

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

12:46 12:46 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,464,955

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Wuwei 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Wuwei

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 Wuwei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 146% more than Wuwei, 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 $1,099 in Wuwei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 157% less in Wuwei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,967 per month in Seoul and $413 in Wuwei. 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 Wuwei, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Wuwei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wuwei – 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 Wuwei. 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.