Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cheonan despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Cheonan

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Cheonan $3,051

Shanghai is about 15% cheaper than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Cheonan is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.53 ₩10.0K

-39.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$22.63 ₩30.1K

33.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.28 ₩5,693

22.66%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.47 ₩1,951

123.13%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.16 ₩1,538

-50.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$1.40 ₩1,867

-74.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.28 ₩3,031

-46.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$4.40 ₩5,853

-48.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.60 ₩2,125

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.22 ₩4,287

-39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.07 ₩4,078

-66.45%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.61 ₩3,476

-36.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.19 ₩14.9K

51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$10.38 ₩13.8K

-69.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-48.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-80.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.73 ₩4,965

-55.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-74.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.04 ₩8,035

-72.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$6.10 ₩8,106

-87.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.34 ₩4,438

-72.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.75 ₩3,651

-77.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.33 ₩1,765

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.38 ₩4,494

12.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.43 ₩3,229

-66.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.35 ₩4,454

-51.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.14 ₩1,509

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.05 ₩4,050

-30.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.78 ₩1,036

-44.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-45.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.24 ₩1,650

7.26%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-36.04%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-45.31%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$199 ₩264.9K

-70.98%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-77.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$27.08 ₩36.0K

-61.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.6 ₩68.6K

27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$11.77 ₩15.6K

51.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-26.22%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$636 ₩845.7K

122.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

29.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-18.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$92.6 ₩123.1K

-19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$127 ₩168.9K

-16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$478 ₩636.1K

120.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$361 ₩479.5K

62.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,153 ₩1.5M

115.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$739 ₩982.3K

66.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$7,244 ₩9.6M

92.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,422 ₩7.2M

15.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,824 ₩2.4M

-6.20%

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 Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 38.3% $224

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 105% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 27.5% $33

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 14.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 9.3% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 243% $186

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 68.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $478 in Cheonan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Cheonan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Shanghai vs $480 in Cheonan – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

658,486

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Shanghai Cheonan 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheonan costs about 18% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $2,200 in Cheonan. 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 $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $636 in Cheonan. 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 Cheonan at $1,467. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan 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, Cheonan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.