Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daejeon and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,344 in Daejeon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Daejeon despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,344

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Daejeon 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 Daejeon and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,344 per month in Daejeon vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Daejeon $1,344
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,104 per month in Daejeon vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Daejeon $2,104
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,865 per month in Daejeon vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Daejeon $2,865
Shanghai $2,755

Daejeon costs about 8% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Daejeon sits 0% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.28 ₩9,678

$4.56 ¥30.47

59.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.77 ₩48.9K

$30.21 ¥202

21.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 ₩7,412

$5.25 ¥35.13

6.10%

Cappuccino

$3.60 ₩4,784

$3.28 ¥21.94

9.76%

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

$1.22 ₩1,622

$0.57 ¥3.84

114.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₩859

$0.36 ¥2.39

80.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 ₩4,659

$1.23 ¥8.23

184.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ₩4,917

$2.27 ¥15.18

63.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,900

$1.84 ¥12.30

18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 ₩3,542

$1.96 ¥13.08

35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 ₩3,514

$1.03 ¥6.87

156.31%

Eggs

$2.55 ₩3,385

$1.67 ¥11.16

52.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 ₩14.5K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 ₩11.0K

$3.19 ¥21.33

158.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.43 ₩27.2K

$12.90 ¥86.3

58.37%

Apples (1kg)

$11.12 ₩14.8K

$2.24 ¥15.00

396.43%

Banana (1kg)

$5.49 ₩7,300

$1.66 ¥11.13

230.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,732

$2.02 ¥13.54

187.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 ₩8,072

$1.66 ¥11.08

265.66%

Potato (1kg)

$5.34 ₩7,102

$0.77 ¥5.17

593.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 ₩3,744

$0.93 ¥6.21

203.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ₩2,273

$0.63 ¥4.19

171.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,510

$0.60 ¥3.99

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,426

$3.80 ¥25.44

-12.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 ₩25.1K

$10.87 ¥72.7

73.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₩3,393

$0.82 ¥5.51

210.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₩4,712

$1.61 ¥10.76

119.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,456

$0.61 ¥4.11

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$29.40 ¥197

-62.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 ₩4,398

$2.11 ¥14.11

56.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₩950

$0.43 ¥2.87

65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.82 ₩22.4K

$9.06 ¥60.6

85.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₩1,638

$1.33 ¥8.89

-7.52%

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

$28.5K ₩37.8M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

49.55%

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

$23.7K ₩31.6M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

26.89%

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

$172 ₩228.4K

$57.8 ¥387

197.18%

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

$42.96 ₩57.1K

$8.09 ¥54.1

431.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.18 ₩29.5K

$10.48 ¥70.0

111.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.10 ₩44.0K

$65.7 ¥439

-49.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ₩15.0K

$8.95 ¥59.9

26.37%

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

$304 ₩403.8K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-78.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-21.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 ₩85.8K

$54.0 ¥361

19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 ₩55.7K

$37.09 ¥248

13.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩122.8K

$74.3 ¥496

24.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₩142.0K

$106 ¥706

1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 ₩490.2K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-65.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ₩391.3K

$585 ¥3,910

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 ₩1.4M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-58.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₩788.5K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-51.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,547 ₩7.4M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-60.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,546 ₩6.0M

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-27.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,336 ₩3.1M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

36.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.36

8.63%

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

Last update for Daejeon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daejeon

$446 33.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 47.4% $212

Accommodation & Living

Daejeon

$294 21.9%

Shanghai

$585 47% 98.7% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daejeon

$237 17.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 67.8% $161

Eating Out

Daejeon

$151 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 29.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Daejeon

$138 10.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Daejeon

$56 4.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 50% $28

Getting Around

Daejeon

$22 1.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 61.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $369 in Daejeon 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 37% higher in Daejeon, 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 $37.00 in Daejeon versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $446 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h behind Daejeon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,324

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Daejeon Shanghai 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Daejeon vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daejeon costs about 8% 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 $2,016 per month in Daejeon 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 $1,344 in Daejeon and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Daejeon at $1,344. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Daejeon 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, Daejeon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.