Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Xiamen $842

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,338 in Xiamen, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Xiamen $1,338

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,835 in Xiamen, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Xiamen $1,835

Seoul costs about 116% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Xiamen is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$3.01 ¥20.10

202.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$23.67 ¥158

183.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$5.36 ¥35.85

38.43%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$2.51 ¥16.78

62.55%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$0.47 ¥3.14

240.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$0.35 ¥2.37

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$1.47 ¥9.86

148.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$2.99 ¥19.97

98.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.46 ¥9.78

40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$2.27 ¥15.20

35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$0.98 ¥6.55

329.59%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$1.63 ¥10.92

119.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$11.95 ¥79.9

50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$2.52 ¥16.83

322.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$11.73 ¥78.4

125.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$2.55 ¥17.05

190.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$1.47 ¥9.85

140.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$1.66 ¥11.09

253.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$1.97 ¥13.19

223.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$1.03 ¥6.86

264.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$1.82 ¥12.18

36.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$0.91 ¥6.05

220.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$0.49 ¥3.31

134.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$3.06 ¥20.47

7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$11.22 ¥75.0

64.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$0.81 ¥5.40

181.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$1.70 ¥11.37

92.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.16 ¥1.07

612.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$12.10 ¥80.9

275.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$1.47 ¥9.82

136.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.29 ¥1.92

106.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$7.34 ¥49.07

18.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.31 ¥8.78

14.50%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$19.3K ¥128.8K

51.12%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$17.3K ¥115.4K

63.27%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$44.42 ¥297

370.22%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$8.81 ¥58.9

298.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$10.23 ¥68.3

107.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$48.22 ¥322

18.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$10.59 ¥70.8

50.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$10.22 ¥68.3

10.86%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$488 ¥3,264

289.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$24.1K ¥161.3K

-6.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$38.84 ¥260

51.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$28.49 ¥190

12.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$105 ¥703

-33.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$84.5 ¥565

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$342 ¥2,283

159.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$269 ¥1,798

131.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$825 ¥5,511

202.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$547 ¥3,655

133.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$8,597 ¥57.5K

247.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$4,684 ¥31.3K

152.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$1,138 ¥7,607

220.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.46

17.92%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Xiamen

$269 32.2% 56.9% $355

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Xiamen

$216 25.8% 55% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Xiamen

$63 7.6% 76.1% $202

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 52.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Xiamen

$116 13.9% 5.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Xiamen

$69 8.2% 14.2% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Xiamen

$16 1.9% 72.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $342 in Xiamen. 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 221% 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 $24.00 in Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $216 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

3,531,000

💱 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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Between locations

Seoul Xiamen 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
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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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 116% more than Xiamen, 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 $1,263 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 276% less in Xiamen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $488 in Xiamen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. 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.