Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,339 in Ulsan, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Ulsan despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Ulsan $1,339
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Ulsan $2,185
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Ulsan $3,030
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Ulsan is roughly 8% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulsan 1% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$4.56 ¥30.47

67.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$30.21 ¥202

47.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$5.25 ¥35.13

12.95%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$3.28 ¥21.94

1.22%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$0.57 ¥3.84

54.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$0.36 ¥2.39

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$1.23 ¥8.23

144.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$2.27 ¥15.18

92.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.84 ¥12.30

28.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$1.96 ¥13.08

65.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$1.03 ¥6.87

206.80%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$1.67 ¥11.16

63.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$3.19 ¥21.33

233.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$12.90 ¥86.3

90.23%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$2.24 ¥15.00

408.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$1.66 ¥11.13

125.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$2.02 ¥13.54

300.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$1.66 ¥11.08

264.46%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$0.77 ¥5.17

680.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$0.93 ¥6.21

250.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$0.63 ¥4.19

358.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.60 ¥3.99

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$3.80 ¥25.44

-17.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$10.87 ¥72.7

70.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$0.82 ¥5.51

198.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$1.61 ¥10.76

113.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$0.61 ¥4.11

86.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$2.11 ¥14.11

36.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$0.43 ¥2.87

81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$9.06 ¥60.6

87.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.33 ¥8.89

7.52%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

57.77%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

82.47%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$57.8 ¥387

240.58%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$8.09 ¥54.1

358.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$10.48 ¥70.0

159.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$65.7 ¥439

-8.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$8.95 ¥59.9

15.08%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-81.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-20.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$54.0 ¥361

-4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$37.09 ¥248

22.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$74.3 ¥496

-17.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$106 ¥706

-28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$585 ¥3,910

-58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-69.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-47.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-67.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-60.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$1,711 ¥11.4K

36.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.36

25.60%

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

Last update for Ulsan: 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

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 52% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.8% $185

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 140% $341

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 28.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 16.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 3.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 218% $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 $373 in Ulsan and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 36% 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: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

1 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulsan Shanghai 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
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

Ulsan vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulsan and Shanghai differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,339 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Ulsan, 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: $373 in Ulsan versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Ulsan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,339 per month in Ulsan versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,339 in Ulsan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Ulsan. 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, Ulsan 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 8% less than in Ulsan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.