Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,405 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Seongnam despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,405 per month in Seongnam vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Seongnam $1,405
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,330 per month in Seongnam vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Seongnam $2,330
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $3,255 per month in Seongnam vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Seongnam $3,255
Shanghai $2,755

Seongnam costs about 13% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seongnam sits 4% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 ₩8,817

$4.56 ¥30.43

44.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 ₩53.7K

$30.21 ¥202

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 ₩8,901

$5.25 ¥35.08

27.05%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₩5,547

$3.28 ¥21.91

26.83%

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

$1.59 ₩2,127

$0.57 ¥3.84

178.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₩1,097

$0.36 ¥2.38

127.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩4,744

$1.23 ¥8.22

189.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,083

$2.27 ¥15.16

67.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₩3,016

$1.84 ¥12.28

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,112

$1.96 ¥13.06

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,795

$1.03 ¥6.86

248.54%

Eggs

$3.61 ₩4,820

$1.67 ¥11.15

116.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 ₩12.3K

$16.96 ¥113

-45.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$3.19 ¥21.30

142.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.02 ₩28.0K

$12.90 ¥86.1

62.95%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.3K

$2.24 ¥14.98

245.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,568

$1.66 ¥11.12

106.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,835

$2.02 ¥13.52

190.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.99 ₩9,321

$1.66 ¥11.07

321.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,810

$0.77 ¥5.17

367.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,366

$0.93 ¥6.20

170.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 ₩3,737

$0.63 ¥4.18

344.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,773

$0.60 ¥3.98

121.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,599

$3.80 ¥25.40

-9.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ₩24.6K

$10.87 ¥72.6

69.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₩2,786

$0.82 ¥5.50

154.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₩2,430

$1.61 ¥10.75

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₩1,373

$0.61 ¥4.11

68.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,858

$2.11 ¥14.09

72.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩879

$0.43 ¥2.86

53.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₩11.8K

$9.06 ¥60.5

-2.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,817

$1.33 ¥8.88

2.26%

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

$29.3K ₩39.1M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

54.05%

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

$28.4K ₩37.9M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

51.82%

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

$207 ₩276.8K

$57.8 ¥386

258.92%

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

$36.39 ₩48.5K

$8.09 ¥54.0

349.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.67 ₩27.6K

$10.48 ¥69.9

97.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.8K

$65.7 ¥439

-21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 ₩16.1K

$17.82 ¥119

-32.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.7K

$8.95 ¥59.8

22.79%

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

$532 ₩709.4K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-62.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.6M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-36.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ₩76.9K

$54.0 ¥360

6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.21 ₩43.0K

$37.09 ¥248

-13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 ₩92.9K

$74.3 ¥496

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 ₩109.2K

$106 ¥705

-22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩637.6K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-54.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩488.6K

$585 ¥3,904

-37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 ₩1.6M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-53.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 ₩1.4M

$1,232 ¥8,228

-16.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,163 ₩9.6M

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-48.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,429 ₩7.2M

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-13.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥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 Seongnam: 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

Seongnam

$423 30.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 44.5% $189

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$366 26.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 59.7% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$265 18.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.1% $188

Eating Out

Seongnam

$158 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 32.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$109 7.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$74 5.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 227% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Seongnam 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 $40.00 in Seongnam versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $423 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Seongnam Shanghai 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
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

Seongnam vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,405 in Seongnam, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,108 per month in Seongnam 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 $1,405 in Seongnam and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $532 per month in Seongnam 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 Seongnam at $1,405. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seongnam 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, Seongnam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.