Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Suji-gu

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,362 in Suji-gu, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Suji-gu despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Suji-gu
Learn more

Suji-gu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Suji-gu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,362 in Suji-gu.

Shanghai $1,244
Suji-gu $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,100 in Suji-gu.

Shanghai $1,999
Suji-gu $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,839 in Suji-gu.

Shanghai $2,755
Suji-gu $2,839

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 9% less than in Suji-gu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Suji-gu is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.06 ₩8,060

-24.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$34.21 ₩45.5K

-11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$6.88 ₩9,145

-23.69%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.63 ₩4,825

-9.64%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.55 ₩2,064

-63.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.61 ₩817

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.39 ₩4,510

-63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$4.35 ₩5,779

-47.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.01 ₩2,669

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.16 ₩4,199

-37.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.34 ₩3,107

-55.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.32 ₩4,416

-49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.59 ₩20.7K

8.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$7.95 ₩10.6K

-59.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.07 ₩14.7K

16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$7.50 ₩9,977

-70.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.26 ₩4,335

-49.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$5.54 ₩7,364

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$6.21 ₩8,261

-73.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.40 ₩4,515

-77.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.49 ₩3,305

-62.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.99 ₩2,646

-68.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.10 ₩1,467

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.28 ₩4,360

15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$18.68 ₩24.8K

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.29 ₩3,046

-64.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.30 ₩4,385

-51.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.14 ₩1,516

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.60 ₩4,785

-41.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.60 ₩795

-28.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$9.02 ₩12.0K

0.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.42 ₩1,888

-6.34%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.8K ₩39.6M

-36.18%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$27.9K ₩37.1M

-33.05%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$214 ₩283.9K

-72.93%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$35.39 ₩47.1K

-77.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$20.99 ₩27.9K

-50.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.1 ₩69.3K

26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$11.86 ₩15.8K

50.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.26 ₩15.0K

-20.52%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$518 ₩688.4K

173.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$17.8K ₩23.7M

56.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$57.3 ₩76.1K

-5.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$32.66 ₩43.4K

13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$69.8 ₩92.8K

6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$81.9 ₩108.9K

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$478 ₩635.3K

120.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$354 ₩470.8K

65.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,159 ₩1.5M

114.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$736 ₩978.7K

67.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$7,177 ₩9.5M

94.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,439 ₩7.2M

14.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,135 ₩1.5M

50.75%

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 Suji-gu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Suji-gu

$354 26% 39.4% $231

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Suji-gu

$396 29.1% 68.7% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Suji-gu

$109 8% 10.8% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Suji-gu

$147 10.8% 38.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Suji-gu

$75 5.5% 10.7% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Suji-gu

$270 19.8% 254% $194

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Suji-gu

$11 * 0.8% 69.1% $25

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 $478 in Suji-gu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 51% 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 $34.00 in Suji-gu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $396 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Suji-gu

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

374,948

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Shanghai Suji-gu 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Suji-gu differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,362 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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 $478 in Suji-gu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Suji-gu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $1,362 in Suji-gu – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,362 in Suji-gu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Suji-gu. 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 Suji-gu 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 9% less than in Suji-gu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.