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 98.2% more expensive than China without rent, and 92.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 94.1% more expensive than China without rent, and 95.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.51 ₩10.2K

$2.85 ¥20.46

163.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.23 ₩58.7K

$23.97 ¥172

80.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ₩8,190

$4.96 ¥35.61

21.77%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ₩5,041

$3.13 ¥22.47

18.85%

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

$1.56 ₩2,117

$0.44 ¥3.18

254.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₩1,037

$0.29 ¥2.1

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ₩5,081

$0.95 ¥6.83

294.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 ₩6,501

$2.14 ¥15.32

123.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ₩3,033

$1.85 ¥13.23

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,289

$1.68 ¥12.06

88.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ₩4,187

$0.95 ¥6.81

225.26%

Eggs

$2.97 ₩4,028

$1.55 ¥11.11

91.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 ₩18.7K

$13.25 ¥95.1

3.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 ₩12.9K

$3.28 ¥23.52

190.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.97 ₩40.7K

$10.85 ¥77.8

176.22%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 ₩10.8K

$1.77 ¥12.66

351.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,669

$1.26 ¥9.01

173.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$6 ₩8,136

$1.5 ¥10.73

300.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 ₩8,263

$1.19 ¥8.5

411.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,995

$0.75 ¥5.4

390.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 ₩3,853

$0.86 ¥6.15

230.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 ₩3,382

$0.61 ¥4.37

308.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₩1,586

$0.58 ¥4.14

101.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ₩4,381

$3.45 ¥24.74

-6.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.37 ₩23.6K

$11.3 ¥81.1

53.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,898

$0.84 ¥6

154.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₩3,878

$1.68 ¥12.05

70.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₩1,451

$0.4 ¥2.86

167.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.12 ₩62.6K

$20.83 ¥149

121.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 ₩4,536

$1.36 ¥9.74

145.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₩766

$0.35 ¥2.55

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9 ₩12.2K

$6.8 ¥48.75

32.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₩1,669

$1.12 ¥8.05

9.82%

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

$28.1K ₩38.1M

$19.2K ¥137.7K

46.44%

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

$24.5K ₩33.3M

$16.7K ¥119.8K

46.84%

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

$168 ₩227.3K

$51.4 ¥369

225.76%

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

$41.25 ₩56K

$9.77 ¥70.1

322.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.59 ₩29.3K

$11.34 ¥81.3

90.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ₩71.4K

$39.55 ¥284

33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.79 ₩26.8K

$14.89 ¥107

32.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 ₩15K

$6.23 ¥44.71

77.53%

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

$385 ₩522.8K

$417 ¥2,989

-7.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩31.1M

$17.7K ¥126.8K

29.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 ₩79.2K

$45.65 ¥327

27.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.81 ₩66.2K

$33.49 ¥240

45.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₩109K

$71.8 ¥515

11.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ₩144K

$72.9 ¥523

45.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₩848K

$445 ¥3,194

40.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₩555.6K

$255 ¥1,830

60.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 ₩2.1M

$915 ¥6,566

71.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$966 ₩1.3M

$543 ¥3,895

77.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ₩17.9M

$6,142 ¥44.1K

114.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,999 ₩10.9M

$2,860 ¥20.5K

179.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ₩3.1M

$942 ¥6,755

143.68%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for China: October 29, 2025

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