Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,405 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Seongnam despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Seongnam

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,405 in Seongnam, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Seongnam $1,405

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,330 in Seongnam, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Seongnam $2,330

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $3,255 in Seongnam, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Seongnam $3,255

Shanghai is about 11% cheaper than Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Seongnam is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.61 ₩8,787

-31.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$40.26 ₩53.5K

-24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$6.67 ₩8,870

-21.29%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$4.16 ₩5,528

-21.15%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.59 ₩2,120

-64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.82 ₩1,093

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.56 ₩4,727

-65.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.81 ₩5,065

-40.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.26 ₩3,005

-18.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.08 ₩4,098

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.59 ₩4,779

-71.31%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.61 ₩4,804

-53.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.24 ₩12.3K

83.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$7.73 ₩10.3K

-58.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$21.02 ₩27.9K

-38.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$7.75 ₩10.3K

-71.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.42 ₩4,552

-51.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$5.87 ₩7,808

-65.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.99 ₩9,288

-76.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.60 ₩4,793

-78.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.52 ₩3,354

-63.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.80 ₩3,725

-77.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.33 ₩1,766

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.45 ₩4,584

10.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.42 ₩24.5K

-40.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.09 ₩2,776

-60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.82 ₩2,422

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.03 ₩1,368

-40.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.64 ₩4,841

-42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.66 ₩876

-34.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$8.86 ₩11.8K

2.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.36 ₩1,811

-2.21%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

-35.09%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

-34.13%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$207 ₩275.9K

-72.14%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$36.39 ₩48.4K

-77.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$20.67 ₩27.5K

-49.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.6 ₩68.6K

27.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.09 ₩16.1K

47.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-18.56%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$532 ₩707.0K

165.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$17.7K ₩23.5M

57.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$57.6 ₩76.6K

-6.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$32.21 ₩42.8K

15.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$69.7 ₩92.6K

6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$81.8 ₩108.8K

29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$478 ₩635.4K

120.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$366 ₩486.9K

59.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,168 ₩1.6M

112.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,035 ₩1.4M

19.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$7,163 ₩9.5M

94.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,429 ₩7.2M

15.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.08

-17.65%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Seongnam

$366 26.1% 37.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Seongnam

$423 30.1% 80.3% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Seongnam

$109 7.7% 10.9% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Seongnam

$158 11.2% 48.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Seongnam

$74 5.2% 12% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Seongnam

$265 18.8% 246% $188

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 69.4% $25

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 $478 in Seongnam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $40.00 in Seongnam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $423 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

10:38 10:38 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

967,510

💱 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 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 Seongnam 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $1,405 in Seongnam – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $2,108 in Seongnam. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,405 in Seongnam. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $532 in Seongnam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Seongnam at $1,405. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seongnam 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, Seongnam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.