Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Andong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,406 in Andong, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Andong despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Andong
Learn more

Andong Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Andong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Andong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Andong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,406 in Andong.

Shanghai $1,244
Andong $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,175 in Andong.

Shanghai $1,999
Andong $2,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,944 in Andong.

Shanghai $2,755
Andong $2,944

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 12% less than in Andong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Andong is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$5.93 ₩7,886

-23.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$35.18 ₩46.8K

-14.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$6.53 ₩8,678

-19.60%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.72 ₩4,953

-11.83%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.61 ₩2,146

-64.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.59 ₩778

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.55 ₩4,716

-65.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$4.57 ₩6,078

-50.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.28 ₩3,029

-19.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.02 ₩4,014

-35.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.30 ₩3,061

-55.22%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.35 ₩4,453

-50.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.85 ₩21.1K

7.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$7.72 ₩10.3K

-58.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.00 ₩14.6K

17.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$7.67 ₩10.2K

-70.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.32 ₩4,412

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$7.37 ₩9,800

-72.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.82 ₩9,073

-75.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.55 ₩4,719

-78.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.36 ₩3,135

-60.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.00 ₩2,658

-68.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.29 ₩1,714

-53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.27 ₩4,348

16.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.83 ₩25.0K

-42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.20 ₩2,926

-62.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.38 ₩4,497

-52.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.13 ₩1,507

-46.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.04 ₩4,038

-30.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.66 ₩882

-34.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$12.91 ₩17.2K

-29.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.42 ₩1,883

-6.34%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

-35.02%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$36.0K ₩47.8M

-47.99%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$207 ₩274.6K

-72.00%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$42.65 ₩56.7K

-81.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$20.71 ₩27.5K

-49.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.6 ₩68.6K

27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$11.83 ₩15.7K

50.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-18.56%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$299 ₩397.0K

373.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$18.1K ₩24.1M

53.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$64.9 ₩86.3K

-16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$64.1 ₩85.2K

-42.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$74.2 ₩98.6K

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$98.4 ₩130.8K

7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$482 ₩640.9K

118.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$358 ₩476.0K

63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,183 ₩1.6M

110.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$736 ₩978.0K

67.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$7,141 ₩9.5M

95.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,385 ₩7.2M

16.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,850 ₩2.5M

-7.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.1

-18.05%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Andong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Andong

$358 25.5% 38.8% $227

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Andong

$411 29.2% 75% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Andong

$136 9.7% 11.3% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Andong

$147 10.5% 39% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Andong

$74 5.2% 12% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Andong

$270 19.2% 253% $194

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Andong

$11 * 0.8% 69.8% $25

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 $1,055 in Shanghai and $482 in Andong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Andong pays 8% 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $35.00 in Andong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $411 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Andong

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

166,274

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Andong 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Andong

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

Shanghai vs Andong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Andong. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Andong. 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $482 in Andong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $299 in Andong. 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 Andong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,406 in Andong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Andong. 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, Shanghai and Andong 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 13% less than in Andong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.