Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $700 a month against $1,794 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
Learn more

Seoul Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $700 per month in Zhongshan vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongshan $700
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $1,110 per month in Zhongshan vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,110
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $1,521 per month in Zhongshan vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,521
Seoul $3,931

Zhongshan is about 61% cheaper than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zhongshan sits 48% below the global median, while Seoul is 33% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.47

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-66.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$68.4 ₩91.6K

-64.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.86

$7.54 ₩10.1K

-40.72%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.80

$4.23 ₩5,664

-33.57%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.63 ₩2,182

-71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.74 ₩992

-60.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$3.64 ₩4,878

-78.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$6.15 ₩8,233

-70.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$2.01 ₩2,698

-22.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$3.13 ₩4,194

-49.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$4.32 ₩5,785

-85.19%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥8.00

$3.61 ₩4,828

-66.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$17.83 ₩23.9K

16.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.63

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-73.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

$25.80 ₩34.6K

-47.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$7.66 ₩10.3K

-73.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$3.38 ₩4,531

-69.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$5.81 ₩7,778

-88.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.50

$6.41 ₩8,580

-77.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.57

$3.75 ₩5,018

-85.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$2.54 ₩3,400

-69.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.84 ₩3,809

-84.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.11 ₩1,483

-51.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.79

$3.35 ₩4,487

-11.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.4

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-34.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$2.40 ₩3,208

-71.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$3.37 ₩4,512

-46.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.14 ₩1,531

-74.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥102

$46.11 ₩61.7K

-67.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$3.49 ₩4,677

-57.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.63 ₩846

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.58

$8.86 ₩11.9K

-19.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.51 ₩2,020

-14.57%

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

$19.1K ¥128.0K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-34.59%

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

$18.0K ¥120.7K

$28.2K ₩37.8M

-36.02%

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

$41.21 ¥276

$218 ₩291.3K

-81.05%

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

$9.85 ¥65.9

$35.15 ₩47.1K

-71.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.3

$21.29 ₩28.5K

-40.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥454

$58.1 ₩77.8K

16.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥49.00

$16.10 ₩21.6K

-54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.42

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-46.60%

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

$324 ¥2,164

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-83.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$22.9K ₩30.6M

-40.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥330

$57.0 ₩76.4K

-13.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$33.39 ₩44.7K

20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$71.5 ₩95.7K

-16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$82.5 ₩110.5K

-7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,391

$901 ₩1.2M

-76.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$612 ₩819.3K

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,483

$2,526 ₩3.4M

-85.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,437

$1,266 ₩1.7M

-83.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.4K

$29.4K ₩39.4M

-91.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$11.9K ₩15.9M

-87.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,396

$3,650 ₩4.9M

-73.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

4.08

-17.89%

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

Last update for Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 113% $253

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 373% $483

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 8.4% $8.5

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 127% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 0.9% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 329% $210

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 188% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Zhongshan 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 282% 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan versus $68.0 in Seoul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $477 – making Zhongshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

1 h ahead of Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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

Zhongshan Seoul 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul costs about 157% more than Zhongshan, 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 $1,049 per month in Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 204% less in Zhongshan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $324 per month in Zhongshan and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhongshan, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Seoul at $1,794. In Zhongshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongshan – 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 Zhongshan. 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.