Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ongjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongjin: $710 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ongjin
Learn more

Ongjin Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Ongjin

🇰🇵 North Korea

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Ongjin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $710 in Ongjin.

Shanghai $1,250
Ongjin $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,126 in Ongjin.

Shanghai $2,019
Ongjin $1,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $1,543 in Ongjin.

Shanghai $2,789
Ongjin $1,543

Living in Shanghai is roughly 76% more expensive than in Ongjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Ongjin 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$2.79 $2.79

63.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$23.34 $23.34

26.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$7.98 $7.98

-36.09%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$1.16 $1.16

194.83%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$0.98 $0.98

-37.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.98 $0.98

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$6.64 $6.64

-81.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$2.26 $2.26

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$0.93 $0.93

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$1.57 $1.57

28.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$2.26 $2.26

-54.87%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$3.28 $3.28

-47.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$4.66 $4.66

268.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$2.29 $2.29

46.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$5.67 $5.67

125.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$6.80 $6.80

-68.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$4.63 $4.63

-62.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$2.34 $2.34

-17.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.29 $2.29

-26.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$3.50 $3.50

-78.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$3.33 $3.33

-72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.31 $2.31

-73.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.43 $0.43

34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$4.67 $4.67

-17.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$7.81 $7.81

40.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.11 $1.11

-24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$2.23 $2.23

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.00 $1.00

-41.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$39.98 $39.98

-24.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.57 $1.57

31.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$2.23 $2.23

-78.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$41.01 $41.01

-78.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$0.75 $0.75

69.33%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$23.0K $23.0K

-14.76%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

-33.40%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$33.78 $33.78

69.42%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$11.46 $11.46

-29.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$45.71 $45.71

-76.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$43.61 $43.61

48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$14.96 $14.96

17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.75 $7.75

14.06%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$109 $109

1215.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$2,117 $2,117

1225.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$22.72 $22.72

140.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$27.97 $27.97

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$61.6 $61.6

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$84.1 $84.1

23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$89.2 $89.2

1065.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$91.3 $91.3

544.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$2,244 $2,244

10.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$136 $136

808.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$1,691 $1,691

703.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,423 $1,423

335.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$214 $214

700.32%

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 Ongjin: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Ongjin

$91 12.7% 84.5% $497

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Ongjin

$229 31.8% 3.2% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Ongjin

$88 12.3% 27.4% $33

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Ongjin

$106 14.7% 1.4% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Ongjin

$59 8.2% 28.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Ongjin

$91 12.6% 20% $15

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Ongjin

$57 7.9% 53.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $89.2 in Ongjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 700% 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 $23.00 in Ongjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $229 per month, with Ongjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇵 Ongjin

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

152,878

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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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Shanghai Ongjin 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Ongjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ongjin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 700% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $89.2 in Ongjin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ongjin – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $710 in Ongjin versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ongjin but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Ongjin 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 Ongjin 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 Ongjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.