Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,627 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. The total is higher in Busan despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Busan

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 Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,627 in Busan.

Shanghai $1,250
Busan $1,627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $2,557 in Busan.

Shanghai $2,019
Busan $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $3,486 in Busan.

Shanghai $2,789
Busan $3,486

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 23% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Busan is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$7.25 ₩9,718

-37.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$48.28 ₩64.7K

-38.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$6.47 ₩8,664

-21.17%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.65 ₩4,888

-6.30%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.77 ₩2,373

-65.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$1.39 ₩1,866

-74.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$3.83 ₩5,137

-68.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$4.37 ₩5,857

-47.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$2.32 ₩3,107

-19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$3.26 ₩4,373

-38.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$3.11 ₩4,167

-67.20%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.62 ₩3,506

-34.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$11.18 ₩15.0K

53.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$10.38 ₩13.9K

-67.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$25.03 ₩33.5K

-48.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-80.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$3.54 ₩4,738

-50.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-75.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$5.85 ₩7,845

-71.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$5.88 ₩7,883

-86.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.39 ₩4,545

-72.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.73 ₩3,657

-77.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.32 ₩1,771

-56.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.33 ₩4,459

15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$18.44 ₩24.7K

-40.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$2.38 ₩3,184

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$3.48 ₩4,657

-54.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.19 ₩1,589

-50.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$59.1 ₩79.2K

-48.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.60 ₩4,828

-42.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.72 ₩962

-34.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$16.66 ₩22.3K

-47.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.36 ₩1,826

-6.62%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

-34.32%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$33.8K ₩45.3M

-44.99%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$196 ₩263.2K

-70.86%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$36.52 ₩48.9K

-77.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$27.50 ₩36.9K

-61.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$62.5 ₩83.7K

3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$9.62 ₩12.9K

83.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.04 ₩16.1K

-26.58%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$637 ₩853.9K

125.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$21.6K ₩28.9M

30.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$106 ₩142.3K

-48.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$65.6 ₩87.8K

-44.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$94.5 ₩126.6K

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$128 ₩171.7K

-18.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$734 ₩983.3K

41.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$365 ₩488.8K

61.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,341 ₩1.8M

85.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$701 ₩939.4K

76.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$10.0K ₩13.4M

35.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$6,421 ₩8.6M

-3.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$2,841 ₩3.8M

-39.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.22

-20.38%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Busan

$365 22.7% 38% $224

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Busan

$483 30.1% 104% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Busan

$177 11.1% 45.8% $56

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Busan

$162 10.1% 50.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Busan

$87 5.4% 5.1% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Busan

$260 16.2% 244% $185

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Busan

$71 4.4% 92% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $734 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 66% 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 $48.00 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $483 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Busan 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Busan. 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 66% lower in Busan. 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $734 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 95% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $637 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,627 in Busan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Busan. 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 Busan 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 30% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.