Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Icheon and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,595 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,595 per month in Icheon vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Icheon $1,595
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,043 per month in Icheon vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Icheon $2,043
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Icheon vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Icheon $2,491
Shanghai $2,755

Icheon costs about 28% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Icheon sits 18% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ₩8,238

$4.56 ¥30.47

35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.38 ₩64.3K

$30.21 ¥202

60.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 ₩8,804

$5.25 ¥35.13

26.10%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,924

$3.28 ¥21.94

12.80%

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

$1.33 ₩1,774

$0.57 ¥3.84

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₩1,553

$0.36 ¥2.39

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 ₩5,052

$1.23 ¥8.23

208.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 ₩5,607

$2.27 ¥15.18

85.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ₩2,970

$1.84 ¥12.30

21.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 ₩4,346

$1.96 ¥13.08

66.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 ₩4,263

$1.03 ¥6.87

211.65%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,650

$1.67 ¥11.16

64.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 ₩14.6K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₩14.0K

$3.19 ¥21.33

231.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.36 ₩33.7K

$12.90 ¥86.3

96.59%

Apples (1kg)

$11.33 ₩15.1K

$2.24 ¥15.00

405.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,731

$1.66 ¥11.13

114.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.13 ₩10.8K

$2.02 ¥13.54

302.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.90 ₩7,849

$1.66 ¥11.08

255.42%

Potato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,043

$0.77 ¥5.17

685.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,489

$0.93 ¥6.21

263.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,647

$0.63 ¥4.19

334.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,701

$0.60 ¥3.99

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,378

$3.80 ¥25.44

-13.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩24.8K

$10.87 ¥72.7

71.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₩3,245

$0.82 ¥5.51

197.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 ₩4,546

$1.61 ¥10.76

112.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,466

$0.61 ¥4.11

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$2.11 ¥14.11

72.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ₩1,028

$0.43 ¥2.87

79.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.77 ₩22.3K

$9.06 ¥60.6

85.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₩1,821

$1.33 ¥8.89

3.01%

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

$29.9K ₩39.8M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

57.30%

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

$33.4K ₩44.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

78.51%

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

$200 ₩265.3K

$57.8 ¥387

245.15%

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

$36.02 ₩47.9K

$8.09 ¥54.1

345.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$10.48 ¥70.0

159.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.45 ₩29.8K

$65.7 ¥439

-65.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.28 ₩15.0K

$8.95 ¥59.9

26.03%

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

$642 ₩853.2K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-54.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.4M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-20.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₩141.3K

$54.0 ¥361

96.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 ₩87.1K

$37.09 ¥248

76.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩124.8K

$74.3 ¥496

26.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩171.6K

$106 ¥706

22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₩994.5K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ₩609.7K

$585 ¥3,910

-21.57%

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)

$2,317 ₩3.1M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

35.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

3.36

16.07%

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

Last update for Icheon: 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

Icheon

$488 30.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 51.9% $253

Accommodation & Living

Icheon

$459 28.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 27.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Icheon

$263 16.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.9% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Icheon

$178 11.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 31.3% $56

Eating Out

Icheon

$151 9.5%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 29.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Icheon

$45 2.8%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 85.7% $39

Getting Around

Icheon

$12 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 203% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Icheon 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 35% higher in Icheon, 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 $48.00 in Icheon versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $488 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Icheon

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

1 h behind Icheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,059

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

Icheon Shanghai 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Icheon
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

Icheon vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,393 per month in Icheon 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Icheon and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Icheon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Icheon at $1,595. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon 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, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.