Cost of Living · KR vs CN
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇨🇳 Shanghai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,334 in South Korea vs $981 in China — 26% cheaper.
- Essentials, South Korea
- $1,334/mo
- Essentials, China
- $981/mo
- Difference
- -26%
- 1-bed city rent, China
- $628/mo
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in China
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -30%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -30%
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -30%
Closest to South Korea prices
- Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -9%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -9.5%
- Running shoes (brand): -9.6%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | China | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $894 | $628 (4,516 CNY) | -30% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $715 | $502 (3,613 CNY) | -30% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,635 | $1,149 (8,258 CNY) | -30% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.62 | $8.05 (58 CNY) | -24% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $44.25 | $33.53 (241 CNY) | -24% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $6.81 | $5.29 (38 CNY) | -22% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $0.75 | $0.61 (4 CNY) | -19% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.18 | $1.78 (13 CNY) | -18% |
| Eggs, dozen | $2.32 | $1.89 (14 CNY) | -19% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.81 | $5.57 (40 CNY) | -18% |
| White rice, 1kg | $2.73 | $2.23 (16 CNY) | -18% |
| Apples, 1kg | $3.27 | $2.67 (19 CNY) | -18% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $8.18 | $6.68 (48 CNY) | -18% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.36 | $1.11 (8 CNY) | -18% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.54 | $2.68 (19 CNY) | -24% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.60 | $5.97 (43 CNY) | -9.5% |
| Cappuccino | $2.95 | $2.24 (16 CNY) | -24% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.57 | $1.28 (9 CNY) | -18% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $40.24 | $31.27 (225 CNY) | -22% |
| Public transport, one-way | $1.70 | $1.32 (9 CNY) | -22% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.36 | $1.79 (13 CNY) | -24% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.06 | $0.80 (6 CNY) | -25% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.71 (5 CNY) | -9% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $124 | $96.20 (692 CNY) | -22% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $43.33 | $33.67 (242 CNY) | -22% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.86 | $21.65 (156 CNY) | -22% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $29.50 | $22.35 (161 CNY) | -24% |
| Cinema seat | $8.26 | $6.26 (45 CNY) | -24% |
| Men's haircut | $17.70 | $13.41 (96 CNY) | -24% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $45.40 | $41.04 (295 CNY) | -9.6% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $74.29 | $67.16 (483 CNY) | -9.6% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $148 | $112 (804 CNY) | -24% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 1,485 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 🇨🇳 China |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $2,316 | $767 |
| Rent, modelled 1-bed Monthly, USD. | $797 | — |
| Rent as % of a local wage Are locals priced out? | 34.4% | — |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $1,058 | $246 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 2.6 | 3.1 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Seoul and Shanghai. | 76 | 77 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | strong | middling |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 2 (very low) | 2.9 (low) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 18 | 6 |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 19.2 | 32.1 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 83.6 | 78 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 97.9% | 91.6% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 273.4 | 31.4 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is China than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $981 in China versus $1,334 in South Korea — 26% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in China?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.68 in China (≈ 19.27 CNY), versus about $3.54 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in China compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $628/month in China versus $894/month in South Korea (-30%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.