Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and China Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: South Korea is 93.8% more expensive than China without rent, and 92.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 96.1% more expensive than China without rent, and 93.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.23 ₩10.7K

$2.82 ¥19.51

156.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.51 ₩64.6K

$23.62 ¥163

84.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 ₩8,742

$4.97 ¥34.35

18.51%

Cappuccino

$3.88 ₩5,760

$3.14 ¥21.66

23.57%

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

$1.58 ₩2,344

$0.44 ¥3.07

259.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₩1,236

$0.27 ¥1.84

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩5,397

$0.93 ¥6.40

291.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 ₩7,178

$2.08 ¥14.37

132.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ₩3,139

$1.84 ¥12.70

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,613

$1.62 ¥11.17

91.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 ₩4,452

$0.96 ¥6.62

212.50%

Eggs

$2.97 ₩4,408

$1.56 ¥10.76

90.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 ₩20.5K

$13.18 ¥91.1

4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 ₩13.8K

$3.21 ¥22.15

190.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.10 ₩44.7K

$10.89 ¥75.3

176.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.69 ₩11.4K

$1.77 ¥12.20

334.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.52 ₩5,230

$1.25 ¥8.64

181.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.82 ₩8,631

$1.52 ¥10.53

282.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.28 ₩9,317

$1.15 ¥7.95

446.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₩5,758

$0.76 ¥5.28

410.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 ₩4,400

$0.89 ¥6.14

233.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 ₩3,716

$0.61 ¥4.24

309.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ₩1,800

$0.54 ¥3.72

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ₩5,044

$3.38 ¥23.33

0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.16 ₩25.5K

$11.67 ¥80.6

47.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₩3,048

$0.78 ¥5.39

162.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₩4,209

$1.67 ¥11.54

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₩1,603

$0.43 ¥2.98

151.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.58 ₩69.1K

$20.93 ¥145

122.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 ₩5,009

$1.41 ¥9.74

139.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 ₩798

$0.35 ¥2.44

54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 ₩12.9K

$6.48 ¥44.78

34.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,835

$1.16 ¥8.04

6.90%

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

$27.3K ₩40.6M

$19.3K ¥133.1K

41.92%

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

$24.0K ₩35.7M

$17.0K ¥117.4K

41.48%

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

$170 ₩252.1K

$51.3 ¥354

231.36%

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

$41.12 ₩61.0K

$9.84 ¥68.0

317.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.21 ₩32.9K

$11.49 ¥79.4

93.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩77.9K

$40.28 ¥278

30.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 ₩28.9K

$14.78 ¥102

31.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ₩16.6K

$6.41 ¥44.30

74.88%

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

$387 ₩574.6K

$403 ¥2,787

-3.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K ₩33.5M

$17.9K ¥123.5K

26.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 ₩85.9K

$45.91 ¥317

26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.99 ₩72.7K

$32.39 ¥224

51.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₩119.3K

$71.2 ¥492

12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ₩161.4K

$74.0 ¥511

47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₩917.2K

$436 ¥3,013

41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₩607.3K

$254 ¥1,752

61.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 ₩2.3M

$900 ¥6,219

74.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 ₩1.5M

$548 ¥3,787

78.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ₩21.1M

$5,140 ¥35.5K

177.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,729 ₩13.0M

$2,676 ¥18.5K

226.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,228 ₩3.3M

$1,024 ¥7,079

117.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

4.06

3.45%

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

Last update for South Korea: March 3, 2026

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and China Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and China

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

South Korea

China

South Korea

China

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