China vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$650
$1114
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1771
$2777
🏠 One person rent
$270
$477
🏘️ Family rent
$453
$804
🍽️ Food expenses
$231
$437
🚐 Transport expenses
$70.4
$94.8
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$819
$2268
💸 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 ($650) is 42% less expensive than in South Korea ($1114). China ranked 162nd vs 80th 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
$3.14
$6.72
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.9
$36.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.95
$5.73
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.31
$3.31
 Cappuccino
$2.85
$3.51
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.5
$1.48
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$309
$495
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$204
$325
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$662
$1123
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$412
$705
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$34.3
$98.9
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$52.7
$153
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11.2
$19.8
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.61%
4.17%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4120
$11512
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2333
$6605
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.36
$1.03
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.3
$43.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.13
$8.65
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.13
$1.15
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.8
$2
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.63
$2.71
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.01
$2.62
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.57
$2.96
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$13.9
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.42
$7.68
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.7
$20
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.79
$6.24
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.22
$3.17
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.44
$5.72
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$5.38
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.75
$3.24
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.91
$2.31
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.76
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.23
$2.19
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.5
$15.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.84
$1.9
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.34
$3.07
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.1
$4.3
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.73
$4.54
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.5
$2.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.7
$1.64
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$40.3
$47.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.11
$9.68
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$53.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.66
$9.42
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.5
$57.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$72.6
$72.6
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$442
$404
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17761
$17691

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
$601
32.1M
Chengdu
$666
20.9M
Shanghai
$1126
24.9M
Shenzhen
$939
17.5M
Beijing
$1044
21.9M
Guangzhou
$782
18.7M
Tianjin
$663
13.9M
Wuhan
$653
12.3M
Suzhou
$782
12.7M
Xi'an
$585
13M
Baoding
$468
11.5M
Hangzhou
$860
11.9M
Qingdao
$649
10.1M
Changsha
$617
10M
Hong Kong
$2674
7.41M
Harbin
$680
10M
Linyi
$530
11M
Hefei
$654
9.37M
Nanjing
$765
9.31M
Jinan
$547
9.2M
Ningbo
$671
9.4M
Zhengzhou
$511
12.6M
Xuzhou
$514
9.08M
Dongguan
$666
10.5M
Nantong
$557
7.73M
Changchun
$588
9.07M
Wenzhou
$763
9.57M
Yantai
$705
7.1M
Shenyang
$575
9.07M
Shijiazhuang
$493
10.6M

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1363
9.67M
Busan
$1114
3.45M
Incheon
$1057
3.05M
Daegu
$1043
2.38M
Gwangju
$1062
1.41M
Daejeon
$922
1.48M
Ulsan
$1020
1.13M
Suwon
$1030
1.23M
Seongnam
$1425
919K
Yongin
$1102
1.08M
Cheongju
$903
848K
Hwaseong
$1076
1M
Changwon
$1032
1.01M
Namyangju
$1120
732K
Goyang
$1092
1.06M
Gimhae
$946
534K
Jeju
$1064
698K
Siheung
$1292
514K
Pyeongtaek
$1095
607K
Pohang
$1030
504K
Cheonan
$1121
657K
Bucheon
$1167
772K
Uijeongbu
$913
463K
Jeju Island
$1079
666K
Paju
$1049
498K
Ansan
$1044
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Hanam
$1162
330K
Gunsan
$1002
275K
Sejong
$986
392K