Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gimcheon and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,319 in Gimcheon, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. The total is higher in Gimcheon despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
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Gimcheon Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,319

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,319 per month in Gimcheon vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Gimcheon $1,319
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,779 per month in Gimcheon vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Gimcheon $1,779
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Gimcheon vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Gimcheon $2,239
Shanghai $2,755

Gimcheon costs about 6% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gimcheon and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Gimcheon 2% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.09 ₩8,091

$4.56 ¥30.47

33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.04 ₩45.3K

$30.21 ¥202

12.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.71 ₩8,928

$5.25 ¥35.13

27.81%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,921

$3.28 ¥21.94

12.80%

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

$1.61 ₩2,136

$0.57 ¥3.84

182.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩842

$0.36 ¥2.39

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 ₩4,683

$1.23 ¥8.23

186.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₩5,939

$2.27 ¥15.18

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ₩2,975

$1.84 ¥12.30

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,264

$1.96 ¥13.08

63.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₩3,010

$1.03 ¥6.87

119.42%

Eggs

$3.31 ₩4,401

$1.67 ¥11.16

98.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.79 ₩21.0K

$16.96 ¥113

-6.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 ₩10.3K

$3.19 ¥21.33

141.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 ₩15.1K

$12.90 ¥86.3

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$7.77 ₩10.3K

$2.24 ¥15.00

246.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.24 ₩4,302

$1.66 ¥11.13

95.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.36 ₩9,792

$2.02 ¥13.54

264.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.78 ₩9,020

$1.66 ¥11.08

308.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,735

$0.77 ¥5.17

362.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 ₩3,203

$0.93 ¥6.21

159.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 ₩2,712

$0.63 ¥4.19

223.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₩1,971

$0.60 ¥3.99

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,572

$3.80 ¥25.44

-9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.48 ₩24.6K

$10.87 ¥72.7

70.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₩3,071

$0.82 ¥5.51

181.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₩1,367

$0.61 ¥4.11

68.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₩3,895

$2.11 ¥14.11

38.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩877

$0.43 ¥2.87

53.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₩1,525

$1.33 ¥8.89

-13.53%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

55.10%

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

$35.9K ₩47.8M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

92.10%

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

$213 ₩283.8K

$57.8 ¥387

269.19%

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

$44.15 ₩58.7K

$8.09 ¥54.1

445.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.62 ₩27.4K

$10.48 ¥70.0

96.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 ₩93.9K

$65.7 ¥439

7.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 ₩15.1K

$8.95 ¥59.9

26.93%

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

$303 ₩403.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-78.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.5M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-36.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 ₩88.7K

$54.0 ¥361

23.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.2 ₩85.3K

$37.09 ¥248

72.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 ₩98.5K

$74.3 ¥496

-0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 ₩131.1K

$106 ¥706

-6.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 ₩393.1K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-71.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.3K

$585 ¥3,910

-58.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,930 ₩2.6M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

12.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

3.36

22.02%

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

Last update for Gimcheon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gimcheon

$408 * 30.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 42.5% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gimcheon

$278 21.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 72.5% $202

Accommodation & Living

Gimcheon

$244 18.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 140% $341

Eating Out

Gimcheon

$149 11.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 28.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Gimcheon

$137 10.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Gimcheon

$93 7.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Gimcheon

$10 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 249% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $296 in Gimcheon 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 13% higher in Gimcheon, 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 $34.00 in Gimcheon versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $408 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h behind Gimcheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,056

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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Between locations

Gimcheon Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gimcheon
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

Gimcheon vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gimcheon is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,979 per month in Gimcheon 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 $1,319 in Gimcheon and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $303 per month in Gimcheon 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 Gimcheon at $1,319. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gimcheon 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, Gimcheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.