Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Gimhae

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,541 in Gimhae, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in Gimhae despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
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Gimhae Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Gimhae

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,541 in Gimhae.

Shanghai $1,244
Gimhae $1,541

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,437 in Gimhae.

Shanghai $1,999
Gimhae $2,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $3,333 in Gimhae.

Shanghai $2,755
Gimhae $3,333

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$7.67 ₩10.2K

-40.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$48.55 ₩64.8K

-37.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$6.61 ₩8,821

-20.57%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.59 ₩4,787

-8.64%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.84 ₩2,460

-69.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.40 ₩1,872

-74.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.75 ₩4,997

-67.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.24 ₩5,651

-46.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$2.25 ₩3,007

-18.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$3.19 ₩4,252

-38.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$3.05 ₩4,066

-66.23%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.70 ₩3,600

-38.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.02 ₩14.7K

53.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$10.56 ₩14.1K

-69.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$25.32 ₩33.8K

-49.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$11.29 ₩15.1K

-80.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$3.59 ₩4,791

-53.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$8.31 ₩11.1K

-75.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$6.04 ₩8,061

-72.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$6.15 ₩8,201

-87.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.29 ₩4,395

-71.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$2.85 ₩3,808

-77.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.27 ₩1,701

-52.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.38 ₩4,510

12.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$18.56 ₩24.8K

-41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$2.39 ₩3,184

-65.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$3.50 ₩4,669

-54.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.09 ₩1,456

-44.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.65 ₩4,876

-42.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.77 ₩1,027

-44.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$16.84 ₩22.5K

-46.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.28 ₩1,713

3.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$29.4K ₩39.3M

-35.39%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-44.52%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$202 ₩269.1K

-71.34%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$35.95 ₩48.0K

-77.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$26.53 ₩35.4K

-60.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.5 ₩68.6K

27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.05 ₩16.1K

47.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$12.09 ₩16.1K

-25.97%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$627 ₩836.6K

125.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$21.5K ₩28.7M

29.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$103 ₩137.7K

-47.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$66.3 ₩88.4K

-44.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$92.2 ₩123.0K

-19.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$127 ₩169.1K

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$491 ₩655.4K

114.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$361 ₩482.2K

61.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,146 ₩1.5M

116.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$744 ₩992.5K

65.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$7,025 ₩9.4M

98.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$5,432 ₩7.2M

15.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,546 ₩3.4M

-32.81%

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 Gimhae: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Gimhae

$361 23.5% 38.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Gimhae

$488 31.7% 108% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Gimhae

$175 11.3% 43.4% $53

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Gimhae

$164 10.7% 55.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Gimhae

$76 4.9% 9.5% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Gimhae

$264 17.2% 246% $188

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8% 67.1% $24

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 $491 in Gimhae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gimhae pays 49% 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 $49.00 in Gimhae for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $488 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

532,132

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Gimhae 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Gimhae

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 Gimhae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Gimhae. 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 49% lower in Gimhae. 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 $491 in Gimhae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $627 in Gimhae. 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 $49.00 in Gimhae. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,541 in Gimhae, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Gimhae. 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 Gimhae 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 Gimhae. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.