Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Zaozhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaozhuang: $667 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Zaozhuang
Learn more

Zaozhuang Living Index

Jump to prices

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Zaozhuang

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul and in Zaozhuang

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $667 in Zaozhuang, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Zaozhuang $667

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $1,022 in Zaozhuang, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Zaozhuang $1,022

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $1,378 in Zaozhuang, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Zaozhuang $1,378

Seoul costs about 177% more than Zaozhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Zaozhuang is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.1K

$1.82 ¥12.14

397.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩91.8K

$11.81 ¥78.6

478.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,868

$2.26 ¥15.04

225.22%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,530

$1.47 ¥9.80

180.27%

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

$1.64 ₩2,207

$0.39 ¥2.58

320.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,083

$0.15 ¥0.97

440.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,980

$0.91 ¥6.07

307.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,236

$1.77 ¥11.81

246.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,742

$1.45 ¥9.63

40.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,311

$1.42 ¥9.44

126.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,892

$1.23 ¥8.15

256.91%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,822

$1.06 ¥7.07

238.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.5K

$11.74 ¥78.2

55.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩14.1K

$3.29 ¥21.90

219.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩36.1K

$11.16 ¥74.3

140.95%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.5K

$1.47 ¥9.76

434.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,739

$1.03 ¥6.83

242.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,660

$1.36 ¥9.07

319.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,296

$1.09 ¥7.24

466.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$0.59 ¥3.92

537.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,373

$0.70 ¥4.65

258.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,780

$0.57 ¥3.80

394.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,490

$0.62 ¥4.09

79.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,432

$3.65 ¥24.27

-9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩25.0K

$9.84 ¥65.5

89.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$0.71 ¥4.72

240.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,509

$1.36 ¥9.05

147.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,600

$0.28 ¥1.83

325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.9K

$15.73 ¥105

193.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,770

$1.61 ¥10.72

120.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩810

$0.25 ¥1.65

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.2K

$4.48 ¥29.81

102.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,931

$1.30 ¥8.67

10.77%

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

$30.3K ₩40.6M

$19.7K ¥131.0K

53.77%

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

$28.9K ₩38.8M

$15.3K ¥101.7K

89.16%

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

$213 ₩285.4K

$74.1 ¥493

186.85%

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

$35.83 ₩48.1K

$6.84 ¥45.51

423.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.7K

$5.08 ¥33.83

321.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩82.8K

$43.72 ¥291

40.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩22.0K

$15.67 ¥104

4.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$5.33 ¥35.47

114.26%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$215 ¥1,430

806.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.6M

$19.7K ¥130.9K

15.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩80.3K

$33.72 ¥224

77.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.9K

$42.01 ¥280

-18.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩88.6K

$72.4 ¥482

-8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩110.0K

$71.2 ¥474

14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$321 ¥2,135

187.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩885.1K

$172 ¥1,146

282.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$630 ¥4,192

378.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$318 ¥2,113

353.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.5M

$2,866 ¥19.1K

847.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.2M

$1,665 ¥11.1K

578.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.13

30.35%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Zaozhuang

$172 25.9% 73.9% $487

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Zaozhuang

$186 27.9% 61.5% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Zaozhuang

$86 12.9% 68.1% $184

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Zaozhuang

$49 7.4% 73.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Zaozhuang

$99 14.8% 9.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Zaozhuang

$54 8.2% 35.6% $30

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Zaozhuang

$20 3% 65.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $321 in Zaozhuang. 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 $68 in Seoul versus $12 in Zaozhuang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $186 – making Zaozhuang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Zaozhuang

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

2,125,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Seoul Zaozhuang 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Zaozhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 177% more than Zaozhuang, 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 $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,000 in Zaozhuang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zaozhuang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $321 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Zaozhuang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $215 in Zaozhuang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zaozhuang, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Zaozhuang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zaozhuang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Zaozhuang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 64% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.