Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jeonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Jeonju
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Jeonju Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Jeonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jeonju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $1,149 in Jeonju.

Shanghai $1,222
Jeonju $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,796 in Jeonju.

Shanghai $1,971
Jeonju $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $2,443 in Jeonju.

Shanghai $2,720
Jeonju $2,443

Living in Shanghai is roughly 6% more expensive than in Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Jeonju 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$7.48 ₩10.0K

-39.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$22.90 ₩30.8K

31.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$5.43 ₩7,287

-5.89%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$3.81 ₩5,112

-10.50%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.12 ₩1,503

-48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.61 ₩824

-42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.85 ₩3,827

-56.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$4.16 ₩5,591

-44.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$2.15 ₩2,885

-12.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$2.30 ₩3,095

-15.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$3.12 ₩4,186

-68.59%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.30 ₩3,090

-26.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$10.99 ₩14.8K

54.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$10.53 ₩14.1K

-69.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$25.57 ₩34.3K

-49.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$11.45 ₩15.4K

-81.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$3.33 ₩4,472

-48.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$8.37 ₩11.2K

-75.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$4.61 ₩6,197

-62.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$6.20 ₩8,319

-86.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.29 ₩3,075

-59.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$2.91 ₩3,907

-76.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.77 ₩1,031

-23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$3.47 ₩4,662

8.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$18.83 ₩25.3K

-41.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.49 ₩1,998

-39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$3.51 ₩4,710

-54.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$1.22 ₩1,634

-53.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$3.32 ₩4,460

-35.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.76 ₩1,022

-38.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$16.74 ₩22.5K

-47.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.21 ₩1,631

10.74%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$39.1K ₩52.5M

-50.75%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$34.6K ₩46.5M

-47.22%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$72.0 ₩96.7K

-18.19%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$30.65 ₩41.2K

-74.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$27.49 ₩36.9K

-61.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$11.98 ₩16.1K

-24.37%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$638 ₩856.7K

148.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$22.0K ₩29.5M

28.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$105 ₩140.4K

-47.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$64.9 ₩87.2K

-42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$44.53 ₩59.8K

67.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$37.95 ₩51.0K

179.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$266 ₩356.5K

286.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$259 ₩348.4K

115.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$460 ₩617.1K

159.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$2,295 ₩3.1M

-25.41%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Jeonju

$259 22.6% 53.6% $300

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Jeonju

$458 39.9% 93.8% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Jeonju

$113 9.9% 7.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Jeonju

$151 13.2% 41.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Jeonju

$24 * 2.1% 71.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Jeonju

$130 11.3% 68.2% $53

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Jeonju

$12 * 1% 67% $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 $1,026 in Shanghai and $266 in Jeonju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeonju pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $23 in Jeonju. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $458, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Jeonju

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

653,387

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Jeonju 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Jeonju

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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeonju is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Shanghai. 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $266 in Jeonju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $638 in Jeonju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jeonju – a meal for two runs $23 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Jeonju gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Jeonju is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.