China vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

China South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$663
$1074
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1807
$2688
🏠 One person rent
$276
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$463
$787
🍽️ Food expenses
$235
$417
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.4
$89.7
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$868
$2138
💸 GDP per capita
$13303
$36239
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
8.15
❤️ Life expectancy
78
83.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
63
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
20%
🎓 Higher education
88
87
😀 Quality of life
52
87
🏙️ Population
1.41B
51.8M

The average cost of living in China ($663) is 38% less expensive than in South Korea ($1074). China ranked 158th vs 86th for South Korea in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.3 months in China compared to 2 months in South Korea. Ranked 85th and 23rd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in China vs South Korea

We calculate prices for China and South Korea as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 87 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China South Korea
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.15
$6.41
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.8
$35.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.04
$5.45
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.32
$3.16
 Cappuccino
$2.84
$3.29
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$1.41
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$316
$486
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$209
$319
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$687
$1137
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$419
$698
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.8
$98.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.1
$152
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11
$19.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.45%
4.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4148
$11577
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2286
$6055
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$0.99
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.7
$40.7
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.21
$8.06
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.19
$1.14
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.78
$1.88
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.68
$2.54
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.01
$2.51
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$2.65
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$11.9
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$7.7
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11
$17.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$6.64
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$3.08
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.49
$5.66
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.27
$4.93
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$3
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$2.35
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.69
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.27
$2.03
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12
$15.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.86
$1.9
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.51
$2.95
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.2
$4.01
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.85
$4.25
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.53
$2.09
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.74
$1.52
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$45.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.26
$9.37
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.5
$45.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.76
$8.07
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.5
$57
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73.8
$68.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$479
$465
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17696
$18682

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs South Korea

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Chongqing
$631
32.1M
Shanghai
$1147
24.9M
Chengdu
$688
20.9M
Guangzhou
$785
18.7M
Suzhou
$798
12.7M
Beijing
$1108
21.9M
Shenzhen
$995
17.5M
Tianjin
$682
13.9M
Wuhan
$657
12.3M
Baoding
$480
11.5M
Xi'an
$594
13M
Nanjing
$789
9.31M
Zhengzhou
$523
12.6M
Qingdao
$649
10.1M
Ningbo
$660
9.4M
Hangzhou
$899
11.9M
Changsha
$622
10M
Nantong
$581
7.73M
Shenyang
$612
9.07M
Hefei
$670
9.37M
Jinan
$546
9.2M
Harbin
$713
10M
Linyi
$523
11M
Dongguan
$694
10.5M
Shijiazhuang
$521
10.6M
Changchun
$607
9.07M
Xuzhou
$531
9.08M
Fuzhou
$679
8.29M
Dalian
$737
7.45M
Wenzhou
$774
9.57M

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1296
9.67M
Busan
$1084
3.45M
Incheon
$1032
3.05M
Daegu
$992
2.38M
Gwangju
$957
1.41M
Daejeon
$905
1.48M
Suwon
$985
1.23M
Ulsan
$957
1.13M
Goyang
$1052
1.06M
Yongin
$1061
1.08M
Cheongju
$865
848K
Seongnam
$1455
919K
Hwaseong
$1045
1M
Changwon
$1013
1.01M
Namyangju
$1094
732K
Gimhae
$1014
534K
Jeju
$1020
698K
Pyeongtaek
$1048
607K
Pohang
$989
504K
Jeju Island
$1037
666K
Cheonan
$1128
657K
Bucheon
$1090
772K
Uijeongbu
$868
463K
Siheung
$1313
514K
Paju
$1010
498K
Ansan
$1001
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Jeonju
$771
342K
Gunsan
$964
275K
Sejong
$971
392K