Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaozhuang and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaozhuang: $667 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zaozhuang
Learn more

Zaozhuang Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

Jump to prices

Zaozhuang

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Zaozhuang vs $1,848 in Seoul, rent included.

Zaozhuang $667
Seoul $1,848

A couple spends around $1,022 per month in Zaozhuang vs $2,986 in Seoul, rent included.

Zaozhuang $1,022
Seoul $2,986

A family of three spends $1,378 per month in Zaozhuang vs $4,125 in Seoul, rent included.

Zaozhuang $1,378
Seoul $4,125

Zaozhuang is about 64% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zaozhuang sits 51% below the global median, while Seoul is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ¥12.14

$9.05 ₩12.1K

-79.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.81 ¥78.6

$68.3 ₩91.8K

-82.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.26 ¥15.04

$7.35 ₩9,868

-69.25%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ¥9.80

$4.12 ₩5,530

-64.32%

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

$0.39 ¥2.58

$1.64 ₩2,207

-76.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ¥0.97

$0.81 ₩1,083

-81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$3.71 ₩4,980

-75.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$6.13 ₩8,236

-71.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.63

$2.04 ₩2,742

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$3.21 ₩4,311

-55.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.15

$4.39 ₩5,892

-71.98%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.07

$3.59 ₩4,822

-70.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 ¥78.2

$18.23 ₩24.5K

-35.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.90

$10.51 ₩14.1K

-68.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ¥74.3

$26.89 ₩36.1K

-58.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-81.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.83

$3.53 ₩4,739

-70.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$5.70 ₩7,660

-76.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$6.18 ₩8,296

-82.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$3.76 ₩5,053

-84.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$2.51 ₩3,373

-72.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$2.82 ₩3,780

-79.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.09

$1.11 ₩1,490

-44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.27

$3.30 ₩4,432

10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 ¥65.5

$18.64 ₩25.0K

-47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$2.42 ₩3,248

-70.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ¥9.05

$3.36 ₩4,509

-59.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ¥1.83

$1.19 ₩1,600

-76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 ¥105

$46.13 ₩61.9K

-65.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.55 ₩4,770

-54.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$0.60 ₩810

-58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 ¥29.81

$9.08 ₩12.2K

-50.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$1.44 ₩1,931

-9.72%

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

$19.7K ¥131.0K

$30.3K ₩40.6M

-34.97%

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

$15.3K ¥101.7K

$28.9K ₩38.8M

-47.13%

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

$74.1 ¥493

$213 ₩285.4K

-65.14%

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

$6.84 ¥45.51

$35.83 ₩48.1K

-80.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.08 ¥33.83

$21.39 ₩28.7K

-76.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.72 ¥291

$61.6 ₩82.8K

-29.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 ¥104

$16.41 ₩22.0K

-4.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ¥35.47

$11.42 ₩15.3K

-53.33%

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

$215 ¥1,430

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-88.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$22.8K ₩30.6M

-13.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 ¥224

$59.8 ₩80.3K

-43.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 ¥280

$34.19 ₩45.9K

22.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥482

$66.0 ₩88.6K

9.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 ¥474

$81.9 ₩110.0K

-13.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 ¥2,135

$924 ₩1.2M

-65.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ¥1,146

$659 ₩885.1K

-73.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 ¥4,192

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-79.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ¥2,113

$1,440 ₩1.9M

-77.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,866 ¥19.1K

$27.2K ₩36.5M

-89.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,665 ¥11.1K

$11.3K ₩15.2M

-85.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.8M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

4.08

-23.28%

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

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaozhuang

$186 27.9%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 160% $297

Accommodation & Living

Zaozhuang

$172 25.9%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 283% $487

Clothing & Footwear

Zaozhuang

$99 14.8%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 10.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaozhuang

$86 12.9%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 214% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Zaozhuang

$54 8.2%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 55.3% $30

Eating Out

Zaozhuang

$49 7.4%

Seoul

$184 10% 274% $135

Getting Around

Zaozhuang

$20 3%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 192% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $321 in Zaozhuang versus $924 in Seoul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Zaozhuang versus $68 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $483 – making Zaozhuang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zaozhuang

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h ahead of Zaozhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,125,000

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zaozhuang Seoul 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zaozhuang
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

Zaozhuang vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 177% more than Zaozhuang, 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 $1,000 per month in Zaozhuang and $2,771 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zaozhuang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $321 there versus $924 in Seoul.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Zaozhuang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $215 per month in Zaozhuang and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zaozhuang, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Zaozhuang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zaozhuang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Zaozhuang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 64% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.