Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pyeongtaek and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,446 in Pyeongtaek, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Pyeongtaek despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pyeongtaek
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Pyeongtaek Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Pyeongtaek

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,446

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,446 in Pyeongtaek versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Pyeongtaek $1,446
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,845 in Pyeongtaek versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Pyeongtaek $2,845
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,244 in Pyeongtaek versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Pyeongtaek $4,244
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Pyeongtaek is roughly 16% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pyeongtaek is 7% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.31 ₩9,726

$4.56 ¥30.47

60.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.36 ₩29.7K

$30.21 ¥202

-25.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ₩6,443

$5.25 ¥35.13

-7.62%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ₩4,977

$3.28 ¥21.94

14.02%

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

$1.24 ₩1,648

$0.57 ¥3.84

117.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₩1,212

$0.36 ¥2.39

152.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ₩4,967

$1.23 ¥8.23

204.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,844

$2.27 ¥15.18

93.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 ₩3,024

$1.84 ¥12.30

23.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,263

$1.96 ¥13.08

63.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 ₩4,161

$1.03 ¥6.87

203.88%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,605

$1.67 ¥11.16

62.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 ₩14.5K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₩14.1K

$3.19 ¥21.33

231.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.50 ₩32.6K

$12.90 ¥86.3

89.92%

Apples (1kg)

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$2.24 ¥15.00

407.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,996

$1.66 ¥11.13

126.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.16 ₩10.8K

$2.02 ¥13.54

303.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.92 ₩7,865

$1.66 ¥11.08

256.63%

Potato (1kg)

$6.13 ₩8,151

$0.77 ¥5.17

696.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,550

$0.93 ¥6.21

267.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,817

$0.63 ¥4.19

355.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,765

$0.60 ¥3.99

121.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₩4,567

$3.80 ¥25.44

-9.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.71 ₩24.9K

$10.87 ¥72.7

72.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₩3,240

$0.82 ¥5.51

197.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 ₩4,502

$1.61 ¥10.76

110.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 ₩1,681

$0.61 ¥4.11

106.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.79 ₩62.2K

$29.40 ¥197

59.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₩4,746

$2.11 ¥14.11

69.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₩727

$0.43 ¥2.87

27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₩11.8K

$9.06 ¥60.6

-2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.33 ¥8.89

7.52%

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

$15.1K ₩20.0M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-20.88%

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

$15.0K ₩19.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-20.07%

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

$201 ₩266.7K

$57.8 ¥387

246.98%

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

$16.98 ₩22.6K

$8.09 ¥54.1

109.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.05 ₩36.0K

$10.48 ¥70.0

158.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 ₩15.7K

$8.95 ¥59.9

32.18%

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

$646 ₩858.4K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-54.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₩137.2K

$54.0 ¥361

91.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩86.6K

$37.09 ¥248

75.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ₩122.3K

$74.3 ¥496

23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₩167.2K

$106 ¥706

19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ₩685.7K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-51.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₩403.5K

$585 ¥3,910

-48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,889 ₩2.5M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-23.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 ₩2.5M

$1,232 ¥8,240

51.78%

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)

$1,879 ₩2.5M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

9.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.36

25.60%

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

Last update for Pyeongtaek: 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

Pyeongtaek

$488 33.8%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 51.9% $253

Accommodation & Living

Pyeongtaek

$304 21%

Shanghai

$585 47% 92.7% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pyeongtaek

$245 16.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 68.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Pyeongtaek

$174 12%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 29.8% $52

Eating Out

Pyeongtaek

$154 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 31.2% $48

Getting Around

Pyeongtaek

$58 4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 37.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Pyeongtaek

$24 * 1.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 254% $60

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 $516 in Pyeongtaek and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pyeongtaek pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Pyeongtaek vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pyeongtaek

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h behind Pyeongtaek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

489,081

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

Pyeongtaek Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pyeongtaek
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

Pyeongtaek vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pyeongtaek and Shanghai differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,446 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Pyeongtaek, 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: $516 in Pyeongtaek versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 59% less than in Pyeongtaek. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $646 in Pyeongtaek versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,446 in Pyeongtaek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Pyeongtaek. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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, Pyeongtaek 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Pyeongtaek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.