Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,543 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in South Korea despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,543

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 33.9% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 19% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 33.4% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 19.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$7.67 ₩10.3K

-40.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$45.23 ₩60.6K

-34.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$6.43 ₩8,617

-20.68%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.92 ₩5,254

-12.76%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.64 ₩2,194

-62.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.83 ₩1,115

-56.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$3.63 ₩4,863

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$4.55 ₩6,098

-49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$2.09 ₩2,804

-11.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$3.02 ₩4,051

-33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$3.38 ₩4,534

-69.82%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$3.22 ₩4,311

-46.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$13.53 ₩18.1K

27.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$8.81 ₩11.8K

-61.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$26.06 ₩34.9K

-50.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$8.59 ₩11.5K

-74.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$3.38 ₩4,535

-48.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$6.23 ₩8,345

-68.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$6.09 ₩8,166

-72.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.97 ₩5,319

-80.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.72 ₩3,645

-65.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.60 ₩3,484

-76.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.20 ₩1,608

-51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.38 ₩4,531

13.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$15.90 ₩21.3K

-31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$2.02 ₩2,706

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.89 ₩3,866

-44.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.14 ₩1,529

-48.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$46.85 ₩62.8K

-35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.43 ₩4,599

-39.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.64 ₩860

-26.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$9.10 ₩12.2K

-3.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.38 ₩1,852

-7.97%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$29.8K ₩39.9M

-34.17%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$29.9K ₩40.1M

-37.87%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$206 ₩275.7K

-72.18%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$39.21 ₩52.5K

-79.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$23.22 ₩31.1K

-54.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.8 ₩70.7K

22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$16.59 ₩22.2K

6.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$10.99 ₩14.7K

-19.56%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$906 ₩1.2M

58.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$23.3K ₩31.2M

20.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$56.7 ₩76.0K

-3.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$43.14 ₩57.8K

-15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$79.5 ₩106.6K

-5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$96.1 ₩128.8K

8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$593 ₩794.3K

75.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$423 ₩566.8K

39.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,531 ₩2.1M

62.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$922 ₩1.2M

34.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$16.5K ₩22.1M

-17.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$8,341 ₩11.2M

-25.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$2,293 ₩3.1M

-25.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.23

-20.57%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

South Korea

$423 27.1% 28.1% $166

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

South Korea

$449 28.7% 89.5% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

South Korea

$124 7.9% 1.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

South Korea

$165 10.6% 53.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

South Korea

$75 4.8% 9.2% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

South Korea

$268 17.2% 254% $192

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

South Korea

$58 3.7% 56.9% $21

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai South Korea 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
South 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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