Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinju and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,256 a month against $1,448 in Jinju, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Jinju despite lower rent and utilities.

72

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
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Jinju Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

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Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,448

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,448 per month in Jinju vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jinju $1,448
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $2,429 per month in Jinju vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jinju $2,429
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $3,410 per month in Jinju vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jinju $3,410
Shanghai $2,743

Jinju costs about 15% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jinju sits 7% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.79 ₩11.7K

$4.45 ¥29.78

97.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 ₩89.3K

$30.29 ¥203

121.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 ₩9,746

$5.09 ¥34.01

44.01%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₩5,378

$3.43 ¥22.96

17.78%

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

$1.63 ₩2,164

$0.62 ¥4.15

162.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,049

$0.39 ¥2.58

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 ₩5,117

$1.23 ¥8.25

213.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 ₩7,928

$2.21 ¥14.81

169.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₩2,701

$1.85 ¥12.37

9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₩4,173

$1.95 ¥13.02

61.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 ₩5,850

$1.00 ¥6.67

340.00%

Eggs

$3.65 ₩4,850

$1.71 ¥11.43

113.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.53 ₩23.3K

$17.47 ¥117

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₩13.9K

$3.24 ¥21.66

221.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.81 ₩34.3K

$12.99 ¥86.8

98.69%

Apples (1kg)

$7.61 ₩10.1K

$2.24 ¥14.98

239.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,495

$1.68 ¥11.25

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.69 ₩7,570

$1.95 ¥13.03

191.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.44 ₩8,568

$1.73 ¥11.60

272.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,968

$0.76 ¥5.10

392.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₩3,455

$0.92 ¥6.15

182.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,822

$0.66 ¥4.41

334.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,524

$0.60 ¥4.00

91.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ₩4,367

$3.69 ¥24.65

-11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ₩24.7K

$10.92 ¥73.0

70.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₩3,144

$0.87 ¥5.85

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₩4,258

$1.63 ¥10.87

96.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$0.62 ¥4.13

85.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 ₩4,823

$2.06 ¥13.79

76.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩846

$0.46 ¥3.08

39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ₩11.7K

$8.84 ¥59.1

-0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₩1,982

$1.33 ¥8.86

12.03%

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

$29.0K ₩38.6M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

50.70%

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

$28.1K ₩37.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

54.14%

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

$217 ₩288.6K

$57.1 ¥382

280.11%

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

$35.79 ₩47.6K

$8.07 ¥53.9

343.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.79 ₩27.6K

$10.70 ¥71.5

94.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.2K

$64.6 ¥432

-14.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.25 ₩17.6K

$17.29 ¥116

-23.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 ₩15.0K

$9.05 ¥60.5

24.20%

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

$371 ₩493.2K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-74.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K ₩30.2M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-19.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

$53.5 ¥358

7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.31 ₩43.0K

$37.05 ¥248

-12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₩93.3K

$77.0 ¥515

-8.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.9K

$104 ¥694

-21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ₩602.1K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₩423.4K

$594 ¥3,971

-46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 ₩1.5M

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 ₩1.1M

$1,213 ¥8,107

-29.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,219 ₩8.3M

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-54.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,161 ₩8.2M

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-1.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Jinju: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinju

$476 32.9%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 50.1% $239

Accommodation & Living

Jinju

$318 22%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 86.5% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinju

$274 18.9%

Shanghai

$76 6% 72.3% $198

Eating Out

Jinju

$182 12.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 41.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Jinju

$109 7.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Jinju

$78 5.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 6.7% $5.2

Getting Around

Jinju

$11 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$37 3% 226% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Jinju versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Jinju versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $238 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jinju

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h behind Jinju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,548

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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Jinju Shanghai 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jinju
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

Jinju vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jinju is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,172 per month in Jinju and $1,884 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 $67.0 in Jinju 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 101% more in Jinju, 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 $1,256, than in Jinju at $1,448. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jinju 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, Jinju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.