Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,344 in Daejeon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Daejeon despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Daejeon

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,344 in Daejeon, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Daejeon $1,344

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,104 in Daejeon, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Daejeon $2,104

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,865 in Daejeon, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Daejeon $2,865

Shanghai is about 7% cheaper than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Daejeon is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.28 ₩9,678

-37.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$36.77 ₩48.9K

-17.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.57 ₩7,412

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.60 ₩4,784

-8.89%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.22 ₩1,622

-53.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.65 ₩859

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.50 ₩4,659

-64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.70 ₩4,917

-38.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.18 ₩2,900

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.66 ₩3,542

-26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.64 ₩3,514

-60.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.55 ₩3,385

-34.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.92 ₩14.5K

55.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$8.24 ₩11.0K

-61.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$20.43 ₩27.2K

-36.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$11.12 ₩14.8K

-79.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$5.49 ₩7,300

-69.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$5.81 ₩7,732

-65.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.07 ₩8,072

-72.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$5.34 ₩7,102

-85.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.82 ₩3,744

-67.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.71 ₩2,273

-63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.14 ₩1,510

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.33 ₩4,426

14.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.90 ₩25.1K

-42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.55 ₩3,393

-67.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.54 ₩4,712

-54.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.10 ₩1,456

-44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$11.09 ₩14.7K

165.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.31 ₩4,398

-36.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.71 ₩950

-39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$16.82 ₩22.4K

-46.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.23 ₩1,638

8.13%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$28.5K ₩37.8M

-33.13%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$23.7K ₩31.6M

-21.19%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$172 ₩228.4K

-66.35%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$42.96 ₩57.1K

-81.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$22.18 ₩29.5K

-52.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$33.10 ₩44.0K

98.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-20.87%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$304 ₩403.8K

365.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$21.9K ₩29.1M

27.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$64.5 ₩85.8K

-16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$41.91 ₩55.7K

-11.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$92.4 ₩122.8K

-19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$107 ₩142.0K

-1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$369 ₩490.2K

186.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$294 ₩391.3K

98.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,028 ₩1.4M

141.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$593 ₩788.5K

107.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,547 ₩7.4M

151.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$4,546 ₩6.0M

37.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,336 ₩3.1M

-26.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.65

-7.95%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Daejeon

$294 21.9% 49.7% $290

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Daejeon

$446 33.2% 90.1% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Daejeon

$138 10.2% 12.8% $16

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Daejeon

$151 11.2% 42% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Daejeon

$56 4.2% 33.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Daejeon

$237 17.6% 210% $161

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Daejeon

$22 1.7% 38.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $369 in Daejeon. 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 37% higher in Daejeon, 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 $37.00 in Daejeon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $446 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,537,324

💱 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 →

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Shanghai Daejeon 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daejeon costs about 8% 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 $2,016 in Daejeon. 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 $1,344 in Daejeon. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Daejeon at $1,344. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Daejeon 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, Daejeon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.