China vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$686
$1139
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1939
$3162
🏠 One person rent
$292
$478
🏘️ Family rent
$561
$1088
🍽️ Food expenses
$239
$463
🚐 Transport expenses
$73.6
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$864
$2364
💸 GDP per capita
$12614
$33121
😃 Human freedom index
5.15
8.12
❤️ Life expectancy
78.6
82.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
42
63
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
20%
🎓 Higher education
91
87
😀 Quality of life
48
85
🏙️ Population
1.44B
51.5M

The average cost of living in China ($686) is 40% less expensive than in South Korea ($1139). China ranked 144th vs 67th 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 2.1 months in South Korea. Ranked 84th and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs South Korea infographic

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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
$3.44
$6.98
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$22.8
$34.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.19
$5.9
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.31
$3.27
 Cappuccino
$3.2
$3.63
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$1.53
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$331
$493
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$222
$328
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$676
$1283
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$449
$827
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.3
$97.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.3
$150
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.6
$19.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.4%
4.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4645
$10513
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2808
$7053
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$1.1
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.7
$45.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.18
$9.17
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$1.24
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.86
$2.14
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.58
$2.92
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.03
$2.82
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.68
$3.24
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.9
$12.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.5
$8.02
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.8
$25.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$7.3
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.32
$3.62
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$5.97
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$5.27
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.8
$3.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.94
$2.82
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.38
$0.79
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.22
$2.56
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.1
$17
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$2.22
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.38
$3.38
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.91
$5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.61
$5.39
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.47
$2.39
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.67
$2.16
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$50.5
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.15
$10.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34
$27.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.59
$8.35
👖 Brand Jeans
$54.2
$64
👟 Brand Sneakers
$77.5
$80.3
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$461
$392
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17526
$21622

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
Shanghai
$1136
24.9M
Beijing
$1067
21.9M
Hong Kong
$2753
7.41M
Shenzhen
$958
17.7M
Chongqing
$662
32.1M
Guangzhou
$763
18.7M
Chengdu
$660
20.9M
Tianjin
$710
13.9M
Hangzhou
$843
11.9M
Suzhou
$1020
12.7M
Xi'an
$594
13M
Wuhan
$692
12.3M
Baoding
$482
11.5M
Nantong
$620
7.73M
Wuxi
$686
7.46M
Pudong
$1028
5.68M
Bijie
$612
6.9M
Zhengzhou
$522
12.6M
Nanjing
$774
9.31M
Hefei
$727
9.37M
Qingdao
$681
10.1M
Changchun
$601
9.07M
Ganzhou
$813
8.97M
Guiyang
$576
5.99M
Foshan
$602
9.5M
Yantai
$740
7.1M
Jieyang
$691
5.58M
Changsha
$582
10M
Wenzhou
$776
9.57M
Xuzhou
$528
9.08M

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1461
9.67M
Busan
$1122
3.45M
Incheon
$1067
2.94M
Daegu
$1114
2.38M
Daejeon
$975
1.48M
Suwon
$970
1.23M
Gwangju
$1178
1.49M
Ulsan
$1099
1.13M
Cheongju
$997
852K
Seongnam
$1127
919K
Yongin
$1142
971K
Changwon
$1083
1.01M
Hwaseong
$1049
941K
Goyang
$1008
1.06M
Namyangju
$1084
732K
Bucheon
$1068
781K
Gimhae
$901
534K
Siheung
$1087
520K
Jeju Island
$1165
678K
Pyeongtaek
$1053
590K
Cheonan
$1222
652K
Pohang
$1000
504K
Ansan
$990
653K
Uijeongbu
$936
463K
Anyang
$1025
548K
Paju
$1020
498K
Jeju
$1157
492K
Sejong
$1043
386K
Hanam
$1074
330K
Gunsan
$1007
275K