Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $550 per month in Yiwu vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Yiwu $550
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,286 per month in Yiwu vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Yiwu $1,286
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $2,022 per month in Yiwu vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Yiwu $2,022
Seoul $3,931

Yiwu is about 69% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yiwu sits 59% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.54

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-66.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.38 ¥196

$68.4 ₩91.6K

-57.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥34.31

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-31.96%

Cappuccino

$3.29 ¥22.01

$4.23 ₩5,664

-22.22%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.63 ₩2,182

-61.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.74 ₩992

-48.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.19

$3.64 ₩4,878

-66.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.22

$6.15 ₩8,233

-62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.01 ₩2,698

-7.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$3.13 ₩4,194

-37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$4.32 ₩5,785

-77.31%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.26

$3.61 ₩4,828

-53.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.54 ¥117

$17.83 ₩23.9K

-1.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-67.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 ¥87.9

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-49.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ¥14.29

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-72.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.68

$3.38 ₩4,531

-48.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.05

$5.81 ₩7,778

-66.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.41 ₩8,580

-74.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$3.75 ₩5,018

-78.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$2.54 ₩3,400

-62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.84 ₩3,809

-78.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.11 ₩1,483

-46.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.10

$3.35 ₩4,487

11.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 ¥72.1

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-41.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$2.40 ₩3,208

-65.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$3.37 ₩4,512

-52.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.14 ₩1,531

-62.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.11 ₩61.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.73

$3.49 ₩4,677

-62.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.63 ₩846

-31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 ¥59.4

$8.86 ₩11.9K

0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$1.51 ₩2,020

-15.89%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-33.15%

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

$18.6K ¥124.3K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-34.12%

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

$57.4 ¥384

$218 ₩291.3K

-73.60%

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

$8.10 ¥54.2

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-76.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.41 ¥69.6

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-51.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$58.1 ₩77.8K

-74.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 ¥75.8

$16.10 ₩21.6K

-29.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ¥48.25

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-36.16%

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

$1,430 ¥9,566

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-26.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K ¥182.5K

$22.9K ₩30.6M

19.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ¥361

$57.0 ₩76.4K

-5.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 ¥252

$33.39 ₩44.7K

13.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 ¥514

$71.5 ₩95.7K

7.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ¥491

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ¥2,985

$901 ₩1.2M

-50.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₩819.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 ¥7,041

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 ¥4,901

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-42.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.7K

$29.4K ₩39.4M

-60.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥19.5K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-75.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 ¥5,000

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-79.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.08

-17.65%

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

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yiwu

$238 43.2%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 101% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$109 19.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 1% $1.1

Eating Out

Yiwu

$93 16.9%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 97.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$76 13.8%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 261% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 177% $52

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 1003% $52

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Seoul

$612 34.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $446 in Yiwu 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 388% 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 $29.00 in Yiwu versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $477 – making Yiwu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

1 h ahead of Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yiwu Seoul 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Yiwu
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

Yiwu vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 226% more than Yiwu, 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 $825 per month in Yiwu 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 Yiwu, 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 $550 in Yiwu and $1,794 in Seoul. That's a gap of about 226%.

Kindergarten costs $1,430 per month in Yiwu and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yiwu – 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 Yiwu. 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.