Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonghua and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonghua 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 Tonghua and in Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $632 per month in Tonghua vs $1,804 in Seoul, rent included.

Tonghua $632
Seoul $1,804

A couple spends around $1,034 per month in Tonghua vs $2,877 in Seoul, rent included.

Tonghua $1,034
Seoul $2,877

A family of three spends $1,436 per month in Tonghua vs $3,950 in Seoul, rent included.

Tonghua $1,436
Seoul $3,950

Tonghua is about 65% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tonghua sits 53% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.74

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-75.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.19 ¥148

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-66.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$7.49 ₩9,959

-32.04%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ¥15.07

$4.19 ₩5,569

-46.30%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.55 ₩2,067

-69.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.79 ₩1,055

-55.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$3.64 ₩4,846

-78.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$6.14 ₩8,164

-69.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$2.11 ₩2,811

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 ¥14.32

$3.05 ₩4,051

-29.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$4.21 ₩5,599

-74.58%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.09

$3.54 ₩4,709

-70.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 ¥87.6

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.94 ¥19.66

$10.35 ₩13.8K

-71.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.54 ¥43.73

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-75.29%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-87.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$3.44 ₩4,578

-68.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.41

$5.64 ₩7,493

-85.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.23

$6.41 ₩8,517

-83.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$3.71 ₩4,938

-75.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$2.52 ₩3,345

-59.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$2.87 ₩3,816

-79.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.16 ₩1,536

-40.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.33

$3.37 ₩4,480

8.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.75 ¥78.5

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-37.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$2.28 ₩3,036

-71.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$3.31 ₩4,397

-66.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.13 ₩1,497

-72.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.92 ¥120

$46.73 ₩62.1K

-61.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$3.52 ₩4,684

-73.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.64 ₩849

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-64.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.45 ₩1,930

-9.66%

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

$19.3K ¥129.1K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

-34.92%

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

$17.0K ¥114.0K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-39.54%

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

$23.25 ¥155

$211 ₩280.4K

-88.97%

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

$5.85 ¥39.12

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-83.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 ¥60.1

$20.57 ₩27.4K

-56.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.90 ¥280

$57.7 ₩76.7K

-27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 ¥101

$16.20 ₩21.5K

-6.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.89 ¥39.36

$11.37 ₩15.1K

-48.20%

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

$294 ¥1,969

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-85.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥100.6K

$22.8K ₩30.3M

-33.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.05 ¥147

$57.5 ₩76.4K

-61.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.01 ¥227

$33.08 ₩44.0K

2.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.8 ¥393

$70.1 ₩93.2K

-16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 ¥464

$84.3 ₩112.0K

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,965

$878 ₩1.2M

-66.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,199

$624 ₩829.7K

-71.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ¥4,273

$2,513 ₩3.3M

-74.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,509

$1,287 ₩1.7M

-70.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,528 ¥23.6K

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-88.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-83.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ¥3,350

$3,599 ₩4.8M

-86.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

-1.96%

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

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tonghua

$185 29.3%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 160% $295

Accommodation & Living

Tonghua

$179 28.4%

Seoul

$624 34.6% 248% $445

Clothing & Footwear

Tonghua

$83 13.1%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 32.9% $27

Eating Out

Tonghua

$71 11.2%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 162% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Tonghua

$54 8.5%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 49.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonghua

$38 6%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 601% $229

Getting Around

Tonghua

$22 3.5%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 164% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Tonghua versus $878 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 618% 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 $22.00 in Tonghua versus $67.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $480 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

19:45 7:45 PM

1 h ahead of Tonghua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

446,917

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

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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

Tonghua vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 186% more than Tonghua, 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 $947 per month in Tonghua and $2,707 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 161% less in Tonghua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Tonghua and $1,967 in Seoul. 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 Tonghua, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Seoul at $1,804. In Tonghua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tonghua – 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 Tonghua. 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.