Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeonggi and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeonggi: $1,072 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Gyeonggi
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Gyeonggi Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Gyeonggi

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,072

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,072 in Gyeonggi versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Gyeonggi $1,072
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,079 in Gyeonggi versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Gyeonggi $2,079
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,085 in Gyeonggi versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Gyeonggi $3,085
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Gyeonggi costs roughly 14% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gyeonggi 21% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$4.56 ¥30.47

65.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₩80.6K

$30.21 ¥202

100.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 ₩7,975

$5.25 ¥35.13

14.29%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₩5,180

$3.28 ¥21.94

18.90%

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

$1.22 ₩1,625

$0.57 ¥3.84

114.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₩903

$0.36 ¥2.39

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ₩4,610

$1.23 ¥8.23

182.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₩3,890

$2.27 ¥15.18

29.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ₩2,334

$1.84 ¥12.30

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

Apples (1kg)

$11.17 ₩14.9K

$2.24 ¥15.00

398.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,084

$1.66 ¥11.13

130.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.70 ₩10.2K

$2.02 ¥13.54

281.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ₩4,087

$2.11 ¥14.11

45.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩775

$0.43 ¥2.87

34.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₩1,945

$1.33 ¥8.89

9.77%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

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

$186 ₩247.8K

$57.8 ¥387

222.38%

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

$40.40 ₩53.7K

$8.09 ¥54.1

399.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.83 ₩29.0K

$10.48 ¥70.0

108.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ₩74.9K

$65.7 ¥439

-14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 ₩13.7K

$8.95 ¥59.9

15.31%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.4K

$54.0 ¥361

9.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 ₩55.9K

$37.09 ¥248

13.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 ₩114.8K

$74.3 ¥496

16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ₩707.0K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩496.5K

$585 ¥3,910

-36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ₩2.8M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-15.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ₩2.0M

$1,232 ¥8,240

21.93%

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)

$2,244 ₩3.0M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

31.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.36

4.17%

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

Last update for Gyeonggi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gyeonggi

$373 34.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 56.6% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeonggi

$249 23.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 69.3% $172

Eating Out

Gyeonggi

$156 14.5%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 31.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Gyeonggi

$127 * 11.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 84.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeonggi

$84 * 7.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 44.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeonggi

$77 7.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 8.6% $6.6

Getting Around

Gyeonggi

$6 * 0.6%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 503% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $532 in Gyeonggi and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gyeonggi pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Gyeonggi vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $127 vs $235, with Gyeonggi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeonggi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h behind Gyeonggi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,582

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 18, 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 18, 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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Gyeonggi Shanghai 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gyeonggi
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

Gyeonggi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gyeonggi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Gyeonggi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $532 in Gyeonggi versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gyeonggi – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,072 in Gyeonggi versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gyeonggi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Gyeonggi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gyeonggi and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gyeonggi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.