Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seogwipo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,427 in Seogwipo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Seogwipo despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Seogwipo versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Seogwipo $1,427
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,220 in Seogwipo versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Seogwipo $2,220
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Seogwipo versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Seogwipo $3,014
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Seogwipo is roughly 15% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seogwipo is 6% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ₩9,873

$4.56 ¥30.43

62.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.06 ₩46.6K

$30.21 ¥202

16.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.50 ₩8,637

$5.25 ¥35.08

23.81%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₩4,741

$3.28 ¥21.91

8.84%

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

$1.60 ₩2,129

$0.57 ¥3.84

180.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₩886

$0.36 ¥2.38

86.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 ₩4,694

$1.23 ¥8.22

186.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 ₩5,964

$2.27 ¥15.16

97.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ₩2,984

$1.84 ¥12.28

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₩4,176

$1.96 ¥13.06

60.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 ₩3,513

$1.03 ¥6.86

156.31%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,470

$1.67 ¥11.15

56.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 ₩10.8K

$3.19 ¥21.30

154.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 ₩28.5K

$12.90 ¥86.1

66.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.80 ₩10.4K

$2.24 ¥14.98

248.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.63 ₩4,831

$1.66 ¥11.12

118.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.59 ₩10.1K

$2.02 ¥13.52

275.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 ₩8,003

$1.66 ¥11.07

262.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,802

$0.77 ¥5.17

368.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,490

$0.93 ¥6.20

181.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 ₩3,764

$0.63 ¥4.18

349.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,695

$0.60 ¥3.98

111.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ₩4,598

$3.80 ¥25.40

-8.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.68 ₩24.8K

$10.87 ¥72.6

71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₩2,926

$0.82 ¥5.50

168.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,629

$1.61 ¥10.75

116.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,445

$0.61 ¥4.11

78.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ₩4,243

$2.11 ¥14.09

51.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩809

$0.43 ¥2.86

41.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.89 ₩17.1K

$9.06 ¥60.5

42.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,850

$1.33 ¥8.88

4.51%

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

$29.7K ₩39.5M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

56.13%

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

$33.2K ₩44.1M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

77.35%

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

$197 ₩261.9K

$57.8 ¥386

240.70%

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

$36.18 ₩48.1K

$8.09 ¥54.0

347.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.11 ₩29.4K

$10.48 ¥69.9

110.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$65.7 ¥439

-21.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₩15.8K

$17.82 ¥119

-33.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$8.95 ¥59.8

27.15%

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

$523 ₩695.5K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-62.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-20.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 ₩85.7K

$54.0 ¥360

19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ₩83.6K

$37.09 ¥248

69.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₩100.3K

$74.3 ¥496

1.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 ₩130.5K

$106 ¥705

-7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 ₩637.3K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-54.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ₩482.0K

$585 ¥3,904

-38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 ₩1.6M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-52.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₩994.7K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-39.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,181 ₩9.5M

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-48.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,441 ₩7.2M

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-12.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ₩1.5M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-35.90%

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 Seogwipo: 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

Seogwipo

$432 30.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 45.6% $197

Accommodation & Living

Seogwipo

$362 25.4%

Shanghai

$585 47% 61.3% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seogwipo

$255 17.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.1% $179

Eating Out

Seogwipo

$157 11%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 32.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Seogwipo

$135 9.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Seogwipo

$74 5.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 12.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Seogwipo

$11 * 0.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 241% $26

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 $479 in Seogwipo and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Seogwipo vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h behind Seogwipo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,641

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Seogwipo Shanghai 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Seogwipo
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

Seogwipo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seogwipo and Shanghai differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,427 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Shanghai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $479 in Seogwipo versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $523 in Seogwipo versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $35.00 in Seogwipo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,427 in Seogwipo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Seogwipo. 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, Seogwipo 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 15% less than in Seogwipo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.