Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and North Korea

Name: North Korea
Address: KP

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in North Korea
Learn more

North Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

🇰🇵 North Korea

$836

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 12.4% cheaper than North Korea without rent, and 49.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 3.2% cheaper than North Korea without rent, and 56.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$2.75 $2.75

65.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$22.54 $22.54

30.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$19.33 $19.33

-73.62%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$1.09 $1.09

213.76%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.25 $2.25

-72.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$1.28 $1.28

-71.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$13.50 $13.50

-91.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$3.46 $3.46

-33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$0.90 $0.90

106.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$2.52 $2.52

-20.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$1.56 $1.56

-34.62%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.89 $2.89

-40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$4.91 $4.91

250.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$3.86 $3.86

-13.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$5.50 $5.50

132.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$6.12 $6.12

-64.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$5.13 $5.13

-66.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$2.28 $2.28

-14.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$2.18 $2.18

-22.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$4.53 $4.53

-83.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$4.53 $4.53

-79.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.26 $2.26

-72.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.46 $0.46

26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$4.52 $4.52

-15.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$7.94 $7.94

37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.15 $1.15

-26.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.18 $2.18

-26.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.00 $1.00

-41.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$38.72 $38.72

-21.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$1.52 $1.52

35.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$2.25 $2.25

-79.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$39.80 $39.80

-77.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.71 $0.71

78.87%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$22.2K $22.2K

-11.75%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$27.9K $27.9K

-33.39%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$33.64 $33.64

70.12%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$11.23 $11.23

-28.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$45.44 $45.44

-76.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$59.4 $59.4

8.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$14.41 $14.41

22.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.78 $7.78

13.62%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$106 $106

1260.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$2,149 $2,149

1206.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$22.12 $22.12

147.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$28.19 $28.19

29.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$62.9 $62.9

19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$84.7 $84.7

22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$97.2 $97.2

969.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$104 $104

467.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,399 $1,399

77.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$208 $208

494.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$1,684 $1,684

706.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,392 $1,392

344.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$232 $232

640.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

7.11

-52.74%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

North Korea

$104 12.3% 82.4% $485

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

North Korea

$247 29.4% 4.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

North Korea

$89 10.6% 26.8% $33

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

North Korea

$182 21.6% 69.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

North Korea

$75 8.9% 8.9% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

North Korea

$90 10.7% 19.1% $15

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

North Korea

$56 6.6% 50% $18

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇵 North Korea

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

26,418,204

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai North Korea 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
North Korea

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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