Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiyuan and in Seoul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taiyuan and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $589 per month in Taiyuan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Taiyuan $589
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $913 per month in Taiyuan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Taiyuan $913
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Taiyuan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Taiyuan $1,238
Seoul $3,931

Taiyuan is about 67% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taiyuan sits 56% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$8.80 ₩11.7K

-74.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$68.4 ₩90.9K

-78.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-41.64%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$4.23 ₩5,624

-37.59%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.63 ₩2,167

-71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.74 ₩985

-60.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$3.64 ₩4,843

-66.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$6.15 ₩8,175

-65.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₩4,164

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$4.32 ₩5,744

-80.79%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$3.61 ₩4,794

-72.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.83 ₩23.7K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩13.9K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-49.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-75.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$3.38 ₩4,499

-59.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$5.81 ₩7,723

-86.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$6.41 ₩8,520

-81.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$3.75 ₩4,983

-87.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.54 ₩3,375

-88.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,782

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$1.11 ₩1,472

-58.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$3.35 ₩4,455

-11.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$18.49 ₩24.6K

-59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$2.40 ₩3,185

-63.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$3.37 ₩4,480

-56.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.14 ₩1,521

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$46.11 ₩61.3K

-70.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$3.49 ₩4,643

-66.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.63 ₩840

-63.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$8.86 ₩11.8K

-57.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.51 ₩2,005

-17.22%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-31.74%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-37.84%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$218 ₩289.2K

-56.64%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-70.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$21.29 ₩28.3K

-40.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$58.1 ₩77.2K

-22.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-45.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-41.29%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ₩30.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$57.0 ₩75.8K

-51.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$33.39 ₩44.4K

101.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$71.5 ₩95.0K

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$82.5 ₩109.7K

-28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$901 ₩1.2M

-75.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$612 ₩813.5K

-81.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-77.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-79.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-91.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-89.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-74.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

4.08

-6.13%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 134% $157

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 438% $498

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 363% $374

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 7.1% $7.3

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 140% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 38.1% $22

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 233% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan versus $901 in Seoul. 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 293% 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $477 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h ahead of Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taiyuan Seoul 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
Seoul

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

Taiyuan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 205% more than Taiyuan, 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 $883 per month in Taiyuan and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $589 in Taiyuan and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 205%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Taiyuan and $68.0 in Seoul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.