Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Uijeongbu

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Uijeongbu: $1,222 and $1,239 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Uijeongbu
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Uijeongbu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Uijeongbu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Uijeongbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $1,239 in Uijeongbu.

Shanghai $1,222
Uijeongbu $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,889 in Uijeongbu.

Shanghai $1,971
Uijeongbu $1,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $2,538 in Uijeongbu.

Shanghai $2,720
Uijeongbu $2,538

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 1% less than in Uijeongbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Uijeongbu 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.16

$6.64 ₩8,807

-31.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$34.36 ₩45.6K

-12.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.09

$6.66 ₩8,844

-23.27%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.74

$3.72 ₩4,941

-8.33%

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

$0.58 ¥3.86

$1.54 ₩2,050

-62.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.75 ₩989

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.55 ₩4,705

-65.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.40

$4.45 ₩5,900

-48.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$2.05 ₩2,715

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.90

$3.15 ₩4,178

-38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$2.25 ₩2,992

-56.44%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.32

$3.32 ₩4,404

-48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$15.46 ₩20.5K

10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.45

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-59.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.2

$11.49 ₩15.2K

12.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$7.62 ₩10.1K

-71.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.50

$3.26 ₩4,326

-46.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.53

$5.67 ₩7,520

-64.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$6.17 ₩8,193

-71.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$3.59 ₩4,766

-76.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$2.37 ₩3,146

-61.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$2.05 ₩2,719

-67.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.16 ₩1,544

-49.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$3.41 ₩4,522

10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.5

$18.92 ₩25.1K

-41.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$2.27 ₩3,012

-60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$3.23 ₩4,284

-50.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$1.14 ₩1,516

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.27

$3.51 ₩4,656

-39.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.59 ₩787

-20.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.3

$9.13 ₩12.1K

-4.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.40 ₩1,858

-4.29%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$29.5K ₩39.1M

-34.70%

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

$18.3K ¥121.8K

$28.2K ₩37.4M

-35.19%

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

$58.9 ¥393

$210 ₩278.9K

-71.97%

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

$7.90 ¥52.6

$34.87 ₩46.3K

-77.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.7

$21.08 ₩28.0K

-49.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥432

$53.6 ₩71.1K

20.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$13.84 ₩18.4K

26.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.4

$11.16 ₩14.8K

-18.82%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$373 ₩495.0K

325.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.2K

$18.1K ₩24.0M

56.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥364

$59.2 ₩78.5K

-7.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$32.30 ₩42.9K

15.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥497

$71.3 ₩94.7K

4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥708

$81.3 ₩107.9K

30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,837

$267 ₩354.2K

284.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,728

$224 ₩296.8K

150.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.5K

$487 ₩646.0K

437.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,939

$411 ₩545.5K

189.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.1K

$7,146 ₩9.5M

87.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.5K

$5,504 ₩7.3M

18.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$2,265 ₩3.0M

-24.41%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Uijeongbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Uijeongbu

$224 18.1% 60% $336

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Uijeongbu

$399 32.2% 68.7% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Uijeongbu

$110 8.9% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Uijeongbu

$154 12.4% 43.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Uijeongbu

$76 6.1% 8.5% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Uijeongbu

$266 21.5% 244% $189

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Uijeongbu

$11 * 0.9% 69.7% $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 $1,026 in Shanghai and $267 in Uijeongbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uijeongbu pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $34 in Uijeongbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $399 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇰🇷 Uijeongbu

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

463,077

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Uijeongbu 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Uijeongbu

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 Uijeongbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Uijeongbu differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $1,239 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Shanghai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $267 in Uijeongbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $1,239 in Uijeongbu – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Shanghai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Shanghai wins on affordability, Uijeongbu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.