China vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$639
$1134
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1733
$2805
🏠 One person rent
$264
$487
🏘️ Family rent
$443
$821
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$443
🚐 Transport expenses
$69.6
$97.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$755
$1998
💸 GDP per capita
$13303
$33121
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
8.23
❤️ Life expectancy
78
83.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
64
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
20%
🎓 Higher education
90
87
😀 Quality of life
51
85
🏙️ Population
1.41B
51.8M

The average cost of living in China ($639) is 44% less expensive than in South Korea ($1134). China ranked 158th vs 74th 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 1.2 months in China compared to 1.8 months in South Korea. Ranked 84th and 24th 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
$3.15
$6.71
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.8
$35.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5
$5.72
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.22
$3.29
 Cappuccino
$2.86
$3.56
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.49
$1.52
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$298
$483
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$198
$336
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$646
$1135
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$408
$721
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$34.4
$101
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$52.8
$154
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11.9
$20.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.84%
4.18%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4169
$10906
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2400
$6575
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$1.03
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20
$44.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.03
$9.04
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$1.15
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.78
$2.06
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.63
$2.83
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.97
$2.6
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.58
$3.1
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$12.6
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.31
$7.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.6
$22.7
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$6.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$3.14
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.42
$5.93
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.18
$5.15
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.74
$3.67
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.9
$2.63
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.37
$0.75
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.21
$2.23
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.4
$15.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.88
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.35
$3.11
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.94
$4.39
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.59
$4.78
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.46
$2.51
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.66
$1.68
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.2
$48.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6
$9.93
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.2
$54.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.55
$9.46
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.6
$60.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$71.4
$71.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$386
$351
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15860
$15508

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
$561
32.1M
Shanghai
$1128
24.9M
Chengdu
$635
20.9M
Shenzhen
$878
17.5M
Guangzhou
$758
18.7M
Beijing
$1029
21.9M
Suzhou
$771
12.7M
Tianjin
$646
13.9M
Wuhan
$639
12.3M
Baoding
$456
11.5M
Xi'an
$580
13M
Hangzhou
$826
11.9M
Nanjing
$753
9.31M
Hong Kong
$2718
7.41M
Qingdao
$626
10.1M
Changsha
$592
10M
Hefei
$643
9.37M
Harbin
$655
10M
Wuxi
$679
7.46M
Xuzhou
$499
9.08M
Dongguan
$662
10.5M
Quanzhou
$621
8.78M
Changchun
$557
9.07M
Linyi
$546
11M
Wenzhou
$753
9.57M
Nantong
$547
7.73M
Yantai
$697
7.1M
Jinan
$573
9.2M
Zhengzhou
$504
12.6M
Foshan
$589
9.5M

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1383
9.67M
Busan
$1108
3.45M
Incheon
$1088
2.94M
Daegu
$1062
2.38M
Gwangju
$1081
1.49M
Suwon
$1066
1.23M
Daejeon
$959
1.48M
Ulsan
$1076
1.13M
Seongnam
$1435
919K
Yongin
$1120
1.08M
Cheongju
$924
852K
Hwaseong
$1098
941K
Changwon
$1084
1.01M
Namyangju
$1138
732K
Gimhae
$975
534K
Siheung
$1307
520K
Pyeongtaek
$1141
590K
Pohang
$1024
504K
Goyang
$1097
1.06M
Cheonan
$1153
657K
Bucheon
$1175
772K
Jeju Island
$1100
678K
Uijeongbu
$918
463K
Ansan
$1049
623K
Jeju
$1069
492K
Gwangju
$1196
397K
Paju
$1065
498K
Gunsan
$1020
275K
Hanam
$1178
330K
Sejong
$1020
386K