Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Seogwipo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,427 in Seogwipo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Seogwipo despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
Learn more

Seogwipo Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Seogwipo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,427 in Seogwipo.

Shanghai $1,244
Seogwipo $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,220 in Seogwipo.

Shanghai $1,999
Seogwipo $2,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $3,014 in Seogwipo.

Shanghai $2,755
Seogwipo $3,014

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 13% less than in Seogwipo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Seogwipo is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$7.43 ₩9,873

-38.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$35.06 ₩46.6K

-13.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$6.50 ₩8,637

-19.23%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.57 ₩4,741

-8.12%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.60 ₩2,129

-64.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.67 ₩886

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.53 ₩4,694

-65.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.49 ₩5,964

-49.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$2.24 ₩2,984

-17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$3.14 ₩4,176

-37.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$2.64 ₩3,513

-60.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.61 ₩3,470

-36.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.88 ₩14.5K

55.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$8.11 ₩10.8K

-60.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$21.44 ₩28.5K

-39.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$7.80 ₩10.4K

-71.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$3.63 ₩4,831

-54.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$7.59 ₩10.1K

-73.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$6.02 ₩8,003

-72.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.61 ₩4,802

-78.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.62 ₩3,490

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$2.83 ₩3,764

-77.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.27 ₩1,695

-52.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.46 ₩4,598

9.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$18.68 ₩24.8K

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$2.20 ₩2,926

-62.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$3.48 ₩4,629

-53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.09 ₩1,445

-44.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.19 ₩4,243

-33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.61 ₩809

-29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$12.89 ₩17.1K

-29.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.39 ₩1,850

-4.32%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-35.95%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$33.2K ₩44.1M

-43.62%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$197 ₩261.9K

-70.65%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$36.18 ₩48.1K

-77.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$22.11 ₩29.4K

-52.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.6 ₩68.6K

27.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$11.92 ₩15.8K

49.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$11.38 ₩15.1K

-21.35%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$523 ₩695.5K

170.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$22.0K ₩29.3M

26.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$64.5 ₩85.7K

-16.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$62.8 ₩83.6K

-40.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$75.4 ₩100.3K

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$98.2 ₩130.5K

7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$479 ₩637.3K

120.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$362 ₩482.0K

61.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,189 ₩1.6M

108.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$748 ₩994.7K

64.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$7,181 ₩9.5M

93.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$5,441 ₩7.2M

14.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,097 ₩1.5M

56.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.1

-18.05%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seogwipo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Seogwipo

$362 25.4% 38% $222

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Seogwipo

$432 30.2% 83.8% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Seogwipo

$135 9.5% 11.1% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Seogwipo

$157 11% 48.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Seogwipo

$74 5.2% 11.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Seogwipo

$255 17.9% 234% $179

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Seogwipo

$11 * 0.7% 70.7% $26

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 $479 in Seogwipo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $35.00 in Seogwipo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $432 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

155,641

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Seogwipo 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Seogwipo

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 Seogwipo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Seogwipo differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,427 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $479 in Seogwipo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $523 in Seogwipo. 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 $35.00 in Seogwipo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,427 in Seogwipo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Seogwipo. 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 Seogwipo 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 15% less than in Seogwipo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.