Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwon and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,256 a month against $1,363 in Suwon, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Suwon despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
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Suwon Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,363

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suwon 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 Suwon and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,363 in Suwon versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Suwon $1,363
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,148 in Suwon versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Suwon $2,148
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,933 in Suwon versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Suwon $2,933
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Suwon 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: Suwon is 1% above, Shanghai is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 ₩7,921

$4.45 ¥29.78

33.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.15 ₩40.1K

$30.29 ¥203

-0.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ₩10.1K

$5.09 ¥34.01

48.72%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ₩4,512

$3.43 ¥22.96

-1.17%

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

$1.60 ₩2,126

$0.62 ¥4.15

158.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩836

$0.39 ¥2.58

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ₩5,129

$1.23 ¥8.25

213.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 ₩6,336

$2.21 ¥14.81

115.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 ₩3,528

$1.85 ¥12.37

43.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 ₩3,546

$1.95 ¥13.02

36.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 ₩4,517

$1.00 ¥6.67

240.00%

Eggs

$3.15 ₩4,184

$1.71 ¥11.43

84.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$17.47 ¥117

-36.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.50 ₩15.3K

$3.24 ¥21.66

254.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$12.99 ¥86.8

-14.86%

Apples (1kg)

$6.28 ₩8,355

$2.24 ¥14.98

180.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 ₩3,916

$1.68 ¥11.25

75.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 ₩7,030

$1.95 ¥13.03

171.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 ₩5,910

$1.73 ¥11.60

156.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,590

$0.76 ¥5.10

353.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ₩3,516

$0.92 ¥6.15

186.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.86 ₩6,458

$0.66 ¥4.41

636.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₩1,726

$0.60 ¥4.00

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ₩5,029

$3.69 ¥24.65

2.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 ₩18.4K

$10.92 ¥73.0

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₩3,369

$0.87 ¥5.85

190.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₩4,939

$1.63 ¥10.87

127.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₩1,603

$0.62 ¥4.13

95.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.15 ₩62.7K

$30.38 ¥203

55.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 ₩3,739

$2.06 ¥13.79

36.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩882

$0.46 ¥3.08

43.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₩11.7K

$8.84 ¥59.1

-0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₩1,856

$1.33 ¥8.86

5.26%

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

$28.4K ₩37.7M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

47.36%

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

$25.5K ₩33.9M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

39.60%

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

$185 ₩246.1K

$57.1 ¥382

224.15%

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

$17.99 ₩23.9K

$8.07 ¥53.9

122.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.72 ₩23.6K

$10.70 ¥71.5

65.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.21 ₩58.8K

$64.6 ¥432

-31.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.73 ₩15.6K

$17.29 ¥116

-32.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ₩14.9K

$9.05 ¥60.5

23.87%

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

$696 ₩925.0K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-51.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K ₩24.0M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-35.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.84 ₩49.0K

$53.5 ¥358

-31.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$106 ₩140.4K

$37.05 ¥248

184.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 ₩98.1K

$77.0 ¥515

-4.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 ₩78.7K

$104 ¥694

-43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 ₩575.7K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-57.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₩466.4K

$594 ¥3,971

-40.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.5M

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-54.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 ₩1.1M

$1,213 ¥8,107

-32.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.7K ₩16.8M

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-6.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,005 ₩9.3M

$6,247 ¥41.8K

12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,576 ₩3.4M

$1,699 ¥11.4K

51.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

3.36

93.45%

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

Last update for Suwon: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suwon

$394 28.9%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 39.7% $157

Accommodation & Living

Suwon

$351 25.7%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 69.3% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwon

$221 16.2%

Shanghai

$76 6% 65.6% $145

Eating Out

Suwon

$149 10.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 28.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Suwon

$124 9.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Suwon

$67 4.9%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Suwon

$58 4.3%

Shanghai

$37 3% 36% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Suwon and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suwon pays 52% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Suwon vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $394 vs $238, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suwon

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h behind Suwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,203,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

Suwon Shanghai 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Suwon
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

Suwon vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suwon and Shanghai differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,363 vs $1,256 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Suwon, 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: $433 in Suwon versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Suwon versus $1,441 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Suwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,363 in Suwon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Suwon. 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, Suwon 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 Suwon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.