Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mokpo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,431 in Mokpo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Mokpo despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Mokpo
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Mokpo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Mokpo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,431

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Mokpo vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Mokpo $1,431
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,222 per month in Mokpo vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Mokpo $2,222
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $3,013 per month in Mokpo vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Mokpo $3,013
Shanghai $2,755

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

Mokpo sits 6% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.49 ₩9,959

$4.56 ¥30.47

64.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.10 ₩45.3K

$30.21 ¥202

12.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.71 ₩8,920

$5.25 ¥35.13

27.81%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,916

$3.28 ¥21.94

12.80%

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

$1.61 ₩2,138

$0.57 ¥3.84

182.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩943

$0.36 ¥2.39

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 ₩4,657

$1.23 ¥8.23

184.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,873

$2.27 ¥15.18

94.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,002

$1.84 ¥12.30

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,097

$1.96 ¥13.08

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 ₩3,694

$1.03 ¥6.87

169.90%

Eggs

$2.68 ₩3,560

$1.67 ¥11.16

60.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 ₩14.7K

$16.96 ¥113

-34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 ₩10.4K

$3.19 ¥21.33

145.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.31 ₩28.3K

$12.90 ¥86.3

65.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ₩10.2K

$2.24 ¥15.00

243.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.46 ₩4,604

$1.66 ¥11.13

108.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.24 ₩9,631

$2.02 ¥13.54

258.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.00 ₩7,972

$1.66 ¥11.08

261.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,812

$0.77 ¥5.17

370.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,422

$0.93 ¥6.21

176.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 ₩3,671

$0.63 ¥4.19

338.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,769

$0.60 ¥3.99

121.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,411

$3.80 ¥25.44

-12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.35 ₩24.4K

$10.87 ¥72.7

68.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₩3,008

$0.82 ¥5.51

175.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,690

$1.61 ¥10.76

119.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,452

$0.61 ¥4.11

78.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ₩4,476

$2.11 ¥14.11

59.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩815

$0.43 ¥2.87

41.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.76 ₩17.0K

$9.06 ¥60.6

40.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₩1,864

$1.33 ¥8.89

5.26%

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

$29.1K ₩38.7M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

52.95%

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

$33.2K ₩44.2M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

77.59%

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

$200 ₩266.0K

$57.8 ¥387

246.13%

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

$36.71 ₩48.8K

$8.09 ¥54.1

353.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.40 ₩29.8K

$10.48 ¥70.0

113.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ₩70.4K

$65.7 ¥439

-19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₩15.7K

$17.82 ¥119

-33.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ₩14.8K

$8.95 ¥59.9

24.25%

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

$530 ₩704.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-62.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-22.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 ₩86.3K

$54.0 ¥361

20.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.2 ₩84.1K

$37.09 ¥248

70.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ₩98.8K

$74.3 ¥496

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 ₩131.9K

$106 ¥706

-6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩640.5K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-54.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ₩481.3K

$585 ¥3,910

-38.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 ₩1.6M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-52.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₩997.3K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-39.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,033 ₩9.4M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-49.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,549 ₩7.4M

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-11.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Mokpo: 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

Mokpo

$428 29.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 45.1% $193

Accommodation & Living

Mokpo

$362 25.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 61.5% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mokpo

$259 18.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.5% $183

Eating Out

Mokpo

$160 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 33.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mokpo

$136 9.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mokpo

$75 5.3%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 11.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Mokpo

$11 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 234% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Mokpo 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Mokpo versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Mokpo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

1 h behind Mokpo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,739

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mokpo Shanghai 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mokpo
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

Mokpo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,146 per month in Mokpo 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 $1,431 in Mokpo and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Mokpo 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 Mokpo at $1,431. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mokpo 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, Mokpo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.