Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheonan and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cheonan despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheonan and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cheonan and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,467 per month in Cheonan vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cheonan $1,467
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,259 per month in Cheonan vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cheonan $2,259
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Cheonan vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cheonan $3,051
Shanghai $2,755

Cheonan costs about 18% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cheonan sits 9% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$4.56 ¥30.47

65.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 ₩30.1K

$30.21 ¥202

-25.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₩5,693

$5.25 ¥35.13

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ₩1,951

$3.28 ¥21.94

-55.18%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,538

$0.57 ¥3.84

103.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,867

$0.36 ¥2.39

288.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ₩3,031

$1.23 ¥8.23

85.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,853

$2.27 ¥15.18

93.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₩2,125

$1.84 ¥12.30

-13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,287

$1.96 ¥13.08

64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,078

$1.03 ¥6.87

198.06%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,476

$1.67 ¥11.16

56.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ₩14.9K

$16.96 ¥113

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.8K

$3.19 ¥21.33

225.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.11 ₩33.4K

$12.90 ¥86.3

94.65%

Apples (1kg)

$11.23 ₩14.9K

$2.24 ¥15.00

401.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 ₩4,965

$1.66 ¥11.13

124.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.07 ₩10.7K

$2.02 ¥13.54

299.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,035

$1.66 ¥11.08

263.86%

Potato (1kg)

$6.10 ₩8,106

$0.77 ¥5.17

692.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,438

$0.93 ¥6.21

259.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,651

$0.63 ¥4.19

336.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,765

$0.60 ¥3.99

121.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₩4,494

$3.80 ¥25.44

-11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₩24.3K

$10.87 ¥72.7

68.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,229

$0.82 ¥5.51

196.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,454

$1.61 ¥10.76

108.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,509

$0.61 ¥4.11

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 ₩4,050

$2.11 ¥14.11

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,036

$0.43 ¥2.87

81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.69 ₩22.2K

$9.06 ¥60.6

84.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,650

$1.33 ¥8.89

-6.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.7K ₩39.5M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

56.34%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

82.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$199 ₩264.9K

$57.8 ¥387

244.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.67 ₩47.4K

$8.09 ¥54.1

340.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.08 ₩36.0K

$10.48 ¥70.0

158.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$65.7 ¥439

-21.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.77 ₩15.6K

$17.82 ¥119

-33.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 ₩16.1K

$8.95 ¥59.9

35.53%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$636 ₩845.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-55.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-22.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 ₩88.0K

$54.0 ¥361

22.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 ₩79.1K

$37.09 ¥248

60.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 ₩123.1K

$74.3 ¥496

24.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩168.9K

$106 ¥706

20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.1K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-54.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩479.5K

$585 ¥3,910

-38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 ₩1.5M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-53.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩982.3K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-40.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,244 ₩9.6M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-47.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,422 ₩7.2M

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-13.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,824 ₩2.4M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

6.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.36

25.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Cheonan

$480 32.8%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 51.1% $245

Accommodation & Living

Cheonan

$361 24.6%

Shanghai

$585 47% 62.1% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheonan

$262 17.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.8% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Cheonan

$155 10.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 21.5% $33

Eating Out

Cheonan

$121 8.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cheonan

$76 5.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 215% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Cheonan versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Cheonan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cheonan versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Cheonan vs $235 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

1 h behind Cheonan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,486

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheonan Shanghai 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheonan
Shanghai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cheonan vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheonan costs about 18% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,200 per month in Cheonan and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,467 in Cheonan and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Cheonan and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Cheonan at $1,467. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cheonan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.