Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,460 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Pangyo despite lower rent and utilities.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
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Pangyo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

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Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,460

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,460 per month in Pangyo vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pangyo $1,460
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,303 per month in Pangyo vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pangyo $2,303
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $3,145 per month in Pangyo vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pangyo $3,145
Shanghai $2,789

Pangyo costs about 17% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pangyo sits 9% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 ₩9,634

$4.55 ¥30.45

57.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.05 ₩40.4K

$29.52 ¥198

1.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 ₩8,788

$5.10 ¥34.13

28.24%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,407

$3.42 ¥22.92

17.84%

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

$1.51 ₩2,028

$0.61 ¥4.12

147.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩956

$0.36 ¥2.41

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 ₩3,982

$1.21 ¥8.08

144.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ₩5,348

$2.29 ¥15.33

73.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₩3,091

$1.86 ¥12.48

23.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,284

$2.01 ¥13.47

58.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,682

$1.02 ¥6.84

168.63%

Eggs

$2.69 ₩3,615

$1.72 ¥11.48

56.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.6K

$17.19 ¥115

-36.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$3.35 ¥22.43

136.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.43 ₩28.8K

$12.80 ¥85.7

67.42%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.17 ¥14.54

253.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,858

$1.74 ¥11.67

108.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.50 ₩10.1K

$1.94 ¥12.99

286.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,201

$1.68 ¥11.25

263.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,859

$0.77 ¥5.18

370.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₩3,596

$0.93 ¥6.22

188.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,740

$0.62 ¥4.17

348.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,719

$0.58 ¥3.88

120.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,635

$3.83 ¥25.64

-9.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 ₩25.3K

$10.94 ¥73.2

72.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,078

$0.84 ¥5.60

172.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₩4,649

$1.60 ¥10.73

116.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,479

$0.59 ¥3.92

86.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.53 ₩63.8K

$30.27 ¥203

57.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ₩4,515

$2.06 ¥13.79

63.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩884

$0.47 ¥3.13

40.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.05 ₩17.5K

$8.80 ¥58.9

48.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,891

$1.27 ¥8.53

11.02%

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

$30.8K ₩41.3M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

56.94%

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

$38.4K ₩51.6M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

106.66%

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

$199 ₩267.4K

$57.2 ¥383

247.93%

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

$36.74 ₩49.3K

$8.06 ¥53.9

355.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.15 ₩29.8K

$10.52 ¥70.4

110.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ₩68.7K

$64.6 ¥433

-20.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.91 ₩16.0K

$17.63 ¥118

-32.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 ₩14.9K

$8.84 ¥59.1

25.90%

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

$526 ₩706.1K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-63.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K ₩29.1M

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-22.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₩88.2K

$54.7 ¥366

20.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ₩86.1K

$36.43 ¥244

75.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 ₩100.1K

$75.4 ¥504

-1.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₩135.6K

$104 ¥696

-2.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩642.6K

$1,039 ¥6,956

-53.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩484.9K

$589 ¥3,940

-38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 ₩1.6M

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-52.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ₩987.8K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-40.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,053 ₩9.5M

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-48.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,546 ₩7.4M

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-10.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,262 ₩7.1M

$1,715 ¥11.5K

206.77%

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 Pangyo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$433 29.3%

Shanghai

$237 19% 45.2% $196

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$361 24.4%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 63% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$258 17.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.6% $182

Eating Out

Pangyo

$157 10.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 31.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$137 9.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$73 5%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 12.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Pangyo

$59 4%

Shanghai

$37 3% 36.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Pangyo versus $1,039 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 207% higher in Pangyo, 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 $30.00 in Pangyo versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $433 in Pangyo vs $237 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

1 h behind Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pangyo Shanghai 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pangyo
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

Pangyo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,191 per month in Pangyo and $1,874 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.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in Pangyo and $1,437 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 $1,250, than in Pangyo at $1,460. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo 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, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.