Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suji-gu and Shanghai

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.

66

Cost of Living Index in Suji-gu
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Suji-gu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Suji-gu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suji-gu and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 ₩8,088

$4.56 ¥30.43

32.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.21 ₩45.6K

$30.21 ¥202

13.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.88 ₩9,177

$5.25 ¥35.08

31.05%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ₩4,841

$3.28 ¥21.91

10.67%

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

$1.55 ₩2,072

$0.57 ¥3.84

171.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₩820

$0.36 ¥2.38

69.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 ₩4,526

$1.23 ¥8.22

175.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ₩5,799

$2.27 ¥15.16

91.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₩2,679

$1.84 ¥12.28

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,213

$1.96 ¥13.06

61.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 ₩3,118

$1.03 ¥6.86

127.18%

Eggs

$3.32 ₩4,431

$1.67 ¥11.15

98.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.59 ₩20.8K

$16.96 ¥113

-8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 ₩10.6K

$3.19 ¥21.30

149.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ₩14.8K

$12.90 ¥86.1

-14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.50 ₩10.0K

$2.24 ¥14.98

234.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,350

$1.66 ¥11.12

96.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 ₩7,390

$2.02 ¥13.52

174.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.21 ₩8,289

$1.66 ¥11.07

274.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₩4,531

$0.77 ¥5.17

341.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,316

$0.93 ¥6.20

167.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 ₩2,655

$0.63 ¥4.18

215.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$0.60 ¥3.98

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ₩4,375

$3.80 ¥25.40

-13.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.68 ₩24.9K

$10.87 ¥72.6

71.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,057

$0.82 ¥5.50

179.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₩4,400

$1.61 ¥10.75

104.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,521

$0.61 ¥4.11

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₩4,802

$2.11 ¥14.09

70.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩798

$0.43 ¥2.86

39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 ₩12.0K

$9.06 ¥60.5

-0.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,895

$1.33 ¥8.88

6.77%

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

$29.8K ₩39.8M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

56.68%

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

$27.9K ₩37.3M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

49.35%

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

$214 ₩284.9K

$57.8 ¥386

269.42%

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

$35.39 ₩47.2K

$8.09 ¥54.0

337.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 ₩28.0K

$10.48 ¥69.9

100.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₩69.5K

$65.7 ¥439

-20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 ₩15.8K

$17.82 ¥119

-33.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$8.95 ¥59.8

25.81%

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

$518 ₩690.8K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-63.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ₩23.7M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-36.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 ₩76.4K

$54.0 ¥360

6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.66 ₩43.6K

$37.09 ¥248

-11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 ₩93.1K

$74.3 ¥496

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩109.3K

$106 ¥705

-22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩637.5K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-54.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₩472.4K

$585 ¥3,904

-39.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 ₩1.5M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-53.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₩982.0K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-40.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,177 ₩9.6M

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-48.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,439 ₩7.3M

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-13.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,135 ₩1.5M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-33.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.36

21.43%

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

Last update for Suji-gu: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suji-gu

$396 29.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 40.7% $161

Accommodation & Living

Suji-gu

$354 26%

Shanghai

$585 47% 65.1% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suji-gu

$270 19.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.7% $194

Eating Out

Suji-gu

$147 10.8%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 27.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Suji-gu

$109 8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 12.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Suji-gu

$75 5.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 12% $9

Getting Around

Suji-gu

$11 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 224% $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 $478 in Suji-gu and $1,055 in Shanghai. 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: $34.00 in Suji-gu vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suji-gu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

1 h behind Suji-gu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

374,948

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Suji-gu
Shanghai

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

Suji-gu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 51% 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: $478 in Suji-gu versus $1,055 in Shanghai. 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 $1,362 per month in Suji-gu versus $1,244 in Shanghai – 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, Suji-gu and Shanghai 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.