cost
Cost of Living Index
Korea93 / 100
China115 / 0
Comparison
Side-by-side data for relocation, travel, hiring, and investment decisions. Values are shown with source-backed metric definitions so trade-offs are easy to compare.
Bars and radar use 0-100 better scores. Tooltips keep the raw source values visible.
Chart summary: Korea leads Cost of Living Index with 100 out of 100; Korea leads Safety Index with 100 out of 100; China leads Median Monthly Rent with 100 out of 100; China leads House Price to Income with 100 out of 100. A complete normalized score table follows.
| Metric | Place | Raw value | Normalized score | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | Korea | 93 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Cost of Living Index | China | 115 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Safety Index | Korea | 71.7 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Safety Index | China | 38.9 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Median Monthly Rent | Korea | $3,481 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Median Monthly Rent | China | $2,341 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | Korea | 9.0x | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | China | 8.0x | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | Korea | $6,161/mo | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | China | $1,109/mo | 0 out of 100 | 2024 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | Korea | 3.5% | 100 out of 100 | 2025 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | China | 4.6% | 0 out of 100 | 2025 | World Bank Open Data |
| Healthcare Access Index | Korea | 83.6 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Healthcare Access Index | China | 64.9 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | Korea | 70.1 years | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | China | 68.8 years | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
cost
safety
housing
housing
jobs
jobs
health
health
Winner
Korea wins on 13 of 22 metrics compared to China.
Winner logic counts row wins after applying each metric direction. Exact ties do not count. Methodology
Top trade-offs
Korea leads cost, safety, and salary; China leads rent, housing, and connectivity.
cost
Korea
93
China
115
safety
Korea
71.7
China
38.9
housing
Korea
$3,481
China
$2,341
housing
Korea
9.0x
China
8.0x
jobs
Korea
$6,161/mo
China
$1,109/mo
jobs
Korea
3.5%
China
4.6%
health
Korea
83.6
China
64.9
health
Korea
70.1 years
China
68.8 years
environment
environment
infrastructure
demographics
Korea
0.3%
China
-0.1%
education
Korea
86.6
China
62.8
transport
Korea
83.7
China
73
safety
Korea
0.6 per 100k
China
0.5 per 100k
safety
Korea
31.4 per 100k
China
6.1 per 100k
health
Korea
24.0%
China
10.3%
quality
Korea
7.1
China
6.7
housing
Korea
$7,279/sqm
China
$4,938/sqm
religion
Korea
8.8%
China
69.2%
religion
Korea
22.9%
China
81.0%
religion
Korea
91.8%
China
47.4%
Some city-level values are modeled estimates when official city-level data is unavailable.
Each metric keeps its source, year, last refreshed date, and confidence label visible. Review methodology or Data Sources.