Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wonju and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,526 in Wonju, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Wonju despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Wonju
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Wonju Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Wonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,526

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Wonju versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Wonju $1,526
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Wonju versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Wonju $2,418
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,309 in Wonju versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Wonju $3,309
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Wonju is roughly 23% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wonju is 13% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 ₩9,900

$4.56 ¥30.43

63.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.19 ₩64.1K

$30.21 ¥202

59.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩8,892

$5.25 ¥35.08

27.43%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,859

$3.28 ¥21.91

11.28%

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

$1.79 ₩2,381

$0.57 ¥3.84

214.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,923

$0.36 ¥2.38

302.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 ₩4,926

$1.23 ¥8.22

200.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₩5,740

$2.27 ¥15.16

90.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,998

$1.84 ¥12.28

22.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 ₩4,252

$1.96 ¥13.06

63.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 ₩4,095

$1.03 ¥6.86

199.03%

Eggs

$2.69 ₩3,579

$1.67 ¥11.15

61.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 ₩14.5K

$16.96 ¥113

-35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 ₩13.8K

$3.19 ¥21.30

226.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.90 ₩33.1K

$12.90 ¥86.1

93.02%

Apples (1kg)

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$2.24 ¥14.98

392.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,712

$1.66 ¥11.12

113.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.6K

$2.02 ¥13.52

295.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,034

$1.66 ¥11.07

263.86%

Potato (1kg)

$5.80 ₩7,718

$0.77 ¥5.17

653.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₩4,527

$0.93 ¥6.20

265.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,807

$0.63 ¥4.18

353.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,711

$0.60 ¥3.98

115.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,550

$3.80 ¥25.40

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.38 ₩24.4K

$10.87 ¥72.6

69.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 ₩3,131

$0.82 ¥5.50

186.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 ₩4,513

$1.61 ¥10.75

110.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,467

$0.61 ¥4.11

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 ₩4,825

$2.11 ¥14.09

72.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₩950

$0.43 ¥2.86

65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 ₩22.4K

$9.06 ¥60.5

85.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₩1,656

$1.33 ¥8.88

-6.02%

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

$29.4K ₩39.1M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

54.63%

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

$33.6K ₩44.7M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

79.76%

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

$196 ₩260.7K

$57.8 ¥386

239.16%

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

$35.94 ₩47.8K

$8.09 ¥54.0

344.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.92 ₩35.8K

$10.48 ¥69.9

156.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ₩69.9K

$65.7 ¥439

-19.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.15 ₩16.2K

$17.82 ¥119

-31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 ₩15.7K

$8.95 ¥59.8

31.73%

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

$491 ₩652.3K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-65.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-21.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩138.1K

$54.0 ¥360

92.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ₩85.2K

$37.09 ¥248

72.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₩122.5K

$74.3 ¥496

24.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩171.3K

$106 ¥705

22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₩657.0K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-53.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₩477.3K

$585 ¥3,904

-38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 ₩1.6M

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-52.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₩988.6K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-39.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,157 ₩9.5M

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-48.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,494 ₩7.3M

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-12.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Wonju: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wonju

$482 31.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 51.3% $247

Accommodation & Living

Wonju

$359 23.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 62.9% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wonju

$259 17%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.5% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Wonju

$175 11.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 30.3% $53

Eating Out

Wonju

$164 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 35.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Wonju

$76 5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 9.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Wonju

$12 * 0.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 211% $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 $494 in Wonju and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Wonju vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $482 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Wonju

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Wonju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,196

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 18, 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 18, 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

Wonju Shanghai 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Wonju
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

Wonju vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wonju and Shanghai differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,290 in Wonju and $1,865 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $494 in Wonju versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Wonju. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Wonju versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,526 in Wonju, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Wonju. 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, Wonju 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 23% less than in Wonju. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.