Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Xining

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $723 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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 Xining
Learn more

Xining Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Xining

🇨🇳 China

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Xining

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

A single person spends $1,822 per month in Seoul vs $723 in Xining, rent included.

Seoul $1,822
Xining $723

A couple spends around $2,847 per month in Seoul vs $1,143 in Xining, rent included.

Seoul $2,847
Xining $1,143

A family of three spends $3,872 per month in Seoul vs $1,562 in Xining, rent included.

Seoul $3,872
Xining $1,562

Seoul costs about 152% more than Xining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Xining is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.74 ¥18.34

232.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.4K

$21.93 ¥147

205.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,900

$4.86 ¥32.48

52.67%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,448

$2.98 ¥19.94

36.91%

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

$1.60 ₩2,132

$0.47 ¥3.14

240.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,074

$0.27 ¥1.79

196.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,867

$0.87 ¥5.82

319.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,924

$2.06 ¥13.74

188.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,731

$1.88 ¥12.56

9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,113

$1.62 ¥10.82

90.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,623

$0.90 ¥6.03

367.78%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,765

$1.54 ¥10.26

131.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.0K

$12.90 ¥86.2

39.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.2K

$3.13 ¥20.90

239.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.3K

$10.17 ¥68.0

159.98%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,906

$1.79 ¥11.97

314.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,713

$1.26 ¥8.44

180.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,834

$1.48 ¥9.89

296.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,500

$1.11 ¥7.41

473.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,008

$0.74 ¥4.91

406.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,323

$0.92 ¥6.12

170.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,895

$0.57 ¥3.78

412.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,535

$0.54 ¥3.62

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,390

$3.15 ¥21.03

4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.7K

$10.46 ¥69.9

76.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,044

$0.74 ¥4.96

208.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,380

$1.58 ¥10.58

107.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,519

$0.29 ¥1.95

293.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.7K

$17.01 ¥114

167.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,644

$1.42 ¥9.48

145.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩800

$0.33 ¥2.19

81.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.6K

$6.59 ¥44.01

32.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩1,996

$1.16 ¥7.78

29.31%

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

$29.1K ₩38.9M

$19.4K ¥129.9K

49.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.6M

$17.2K ¥114.6K

64.36%

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

$209 ₩278.8K

$44.99 ¥301

364.26%

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

$35.13 ₩46.9K

$9.74 ¥65.1

260.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.3K

$11.84 ¥79.2

78.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.5K

$41.53 ¥278

38.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.2K

$14.17 ¥94.7

12.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.1K

$5.81 ¥38.85

95.01%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$333 ¥2,227

470.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.1M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

31.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.6K

$44.37 ¥297

32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩42.9K

$29.89 ¥200

7.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.6K

$72.9 ¥487

-3.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.1K

$72.6 ¥485

13.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$273 ¥1,826

223.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩832.2K

$190 ¥1,270

228.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$599 ¥4,005

316.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$353 ¥2,362

260.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩39.8M

$3,029 ¥20.2K

885.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.8M

$2,058 ¥13.8K

475.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.89

4.88%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Xining: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Xining

$190 26.7% 69.5% $434

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Xining

$198 27.8% 58.6% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Xining

$67 9.4% 74.9% $199

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Xining

$84 11.8% 54.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Xining

$99 13.9% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Xining

$53 7.5% 33.6% $27

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Xining

$21 3% 62.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $885 in Seoul versus $273 in Xining. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Seoul versus $22.00 in Xining. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $198 – making Xining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Xining

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,333,700

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seoul Xining 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
Xining

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 Xining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 152% more than Xining, 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 $1,085 in Xining. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 167% less in Xining. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,902 per month in Seoul and $333 in Xining. 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 Xining, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Seoul at $1,822. In Xining it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xining – 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 Xining. 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.