Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,538 in Changwon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in Changwon despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
Learn more

Changwon Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Changwon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,538 in Changwon.

Shanghai $1,244
Changwon $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,371 in Changwon.

Shanghai $1,999
Changwon $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $3,204 in Changwon.

Shanghai $2,755
Changwon $3,204

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 19% less than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Changwon is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$7.54 ₩10.0K

-39.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$28.15 ₩37.4K

7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.24 ₩6,968

0.19%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.70 ₩4,923

-11.35%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.79 ₩2,383

-68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.01 ₩1,338

-64.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.03 ₩4,023

-59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.18 ₩5,563

-45.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$2.24 ₩2,983

-17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$3.20 ₩4,254

-38.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$3.20 ₩4,257

-67.81%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.61 ₩3,476

-36.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.83 ₩14.4K

56.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-69.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$24.43 ₩32.5K

-47.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$11.09 ₩14.7K

-79.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$3.62 ₩4,807

-54.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$8.02 ₩10.7K

-74.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$6.01 ₩7,991

-72.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$5.82 ₩7,745

-86.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.28 ₩4,358

-71.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$2.82 ₩3,746

-77.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.33 ₩1,771

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.39 ₩4,508

12.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-42.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$2.34 ₩3,114

-64.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$3.35 ₩4,451

-51.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.98 ₩1,300

-37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$2.91 ₩3,874

-27.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.78 ₩1,031

-44.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$16.59 ₩22.1K

-45.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.36 ₩1,806

-2.21%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

-35.06%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-43.43%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$199 ₩264.0K

-70.88%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$36.37 ₩48.4K

-77.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$26.52 ₩35.3K

-60.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.5 ₩69.8K

25.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.48 ₩16.6K

42.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-18.56%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$629 ₩836.2K

124.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

27.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$106 ₩140.8K

-49.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$64.4 ₩85.6K

-42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$127 ₩168.7K

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$543 ₩722.4K

94.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$378 ₩502.1K

54.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,240 ₩1.6M

100.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$753 ₩1.0M

63.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$7,598 ₩10.1M

83.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$6,197 ₩8.2M

0.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,705 ₩2.3M

0.34%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Changwon

$378 24.6% 35.4% $207

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Changwon

$483 31.4% 106% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Changwon

$175 11.4% 43.9% $54

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Changwon

$155 10.1% 46.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Changwon

$74 4.8% 10.9% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Changwon

$261 17% 242% $185

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Changwon

$11 * 0.7% 70.4% $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 $543 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $28.00 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $483, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,055,839

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Changwon 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Changwon differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,538 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Shanghai, 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $543 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Changwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $1,538 in Changwon – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,538 in Changwon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Changwon. 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 Changwon 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 24% less than in Changwon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.