Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,595 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
Learn more

Icheon Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,595 in Icheon, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Icheon $1,595

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,043 in Icheon, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Icheon $2,043

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,491 in Icheon, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Icheon $2,491

Shanghai is about 22% cheaper than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Icheon is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.20 ₩8,238

-26.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$48.38 ₩64.3K

-37.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$6.62 ₩8,804

-20.69%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.70 ₩4,924

-11.35%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.33 ₩1,774

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$1.17 ₩1,553

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.80 ₩5,052

-67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$4.22 ₩5,607

-46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.23 ₩2,970

-17.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.27 ₩4,346

-40.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.21 ₩4,263

-67.91%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.74 ₩3,650

-39.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.97 ₩14.6K

54.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$10.56 ₩14.0K

-69.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$25.36 ₩33.7K

-49.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-80.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.56 ₩4,731

-53.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-75.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$5.90 ₩7,849

-71.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$6.05 ₩8,043

-87.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.38 ₩4,489

-72.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.74 ₩3,647

-77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.28 ₩1,701

-53.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.29 ₩4,378

15.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.65 ₩24.8K

-41.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.44 ₩3,245

-66.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.42 ₩4,546

-52.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.10 ₩1,466

-44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.64 ₩4,836

-42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.77 ₩1,028

-44.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$16.77 ₩22.3K

-45.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.37 ₩1,821

-2.92%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.9K ₩39.8M

-36.43%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$33.4K ₩44.4M

-43.98%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$200 ₩265.3K

-71.03%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$36.02 ₩47.9K

-77.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$27.21 ₩36.2K

-61.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$22.45 ₩29.8K

192.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.28 ₩15.0K

-20.66%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$642 ₩853.2K

120.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$22.1K ₩29.4M

25.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$106 ₩141.3K

-49.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$65.5 ₩87.1K

-43.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$93.9 ₩124.8K

-20.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$129 ₩171.6K

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$748 ₩994.5K

41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$459 ₩609.7K

27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,317 ₩3.1M

-26.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.9

-13.85%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 21.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 108% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 45.7% $56

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 42.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 46.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 244% $186

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 67% $24

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 $748 in Icheon. 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 35% higher in Icheon, 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 $48.00 in Icheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $488 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

213,059

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Icheon 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $2,393 in Icheon. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $48.00 in Icheon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Icheon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Icheon at $1,595. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon 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, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.