Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yongin and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yongin: $1,039 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Yongin
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Yongin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yongin

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,039

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,039 in Yongin versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Yongin $1,039
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,577 in Yongin versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Yongin $1,577
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,114 in Yongin versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Yongin $2,114
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Yongin costs roughly 16% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yongin 23% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ₩8,166

$4.56 ¥30.43

34.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 ₩34.7K

$30.21 ¥202

-13.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ₩9,218

$5.25 ¥35.08

31.62%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ₩4,813

$3.28 ¥21.91

10.06%

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

$1.53 ₩2,037

$0.57 ¥3.84

168.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩832

$0.36 ¥2.38

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 ₩4,742

$1.23 ¥8.22

188.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,891

$2.27 ¥15.16

94.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$1.84 ¥12.28

-40.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 ₩4,131

$1.96 ¥13.06

58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ₩3,110

$1.03 ¥6.86

126.21%

Eggs

$2.39 ₩3,184

$1.67 ¥11.15

43.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ₩21.3K

$16.96 ¥113

-6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 ₩10.8K

$3.19 ¥21.30

152.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ₩14.8K

$12.90 ¥86.1

-14.11%

Apples (1kg)

$7.50 ₩10.0K

$2.24 ¥14.98

234.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.18 ₩4,247

$1.66 ¥11.12

91.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.29 ₩9,730

$2.02 ¥13.52

260.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.18 ₩9,580

$1.66 ¥11.07

332.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,584

$0.77 ¥5.17

346.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,352

$0.93 ¥6.20

169.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 ₩2,683

$0.63 ¥4.18

219.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₩1,994

$0.60 ¥3.98

148.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₩4,578

$3.80 ¥25.40

-9.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 ₩25.0K

$10.87 ¥72.6

72.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₩2,934

$0.82 ¥5.50

168.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 ₩4,783

$2.11 ¥14.09

70.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩815

$0.43 ¥2.86

41.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₩1,874

$1.33 ¥8.88

5.26%

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

$29.0K ₩38.7M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

52.65%

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

$36.2K ₩48.2M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

93.25%

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

$214 ₩285.0K

$57.8 ¥386

269.52%

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

$44.19 ₩59.0K

$8.09 ¥54.0

446.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 ₩27.8K

$10.48 ¥69.9

98.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ₩70.6K

$65.7 ¥439

-19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 ₩14.9K

$8.95 ¥59.8

24.69%

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

$303 ₩404.8K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-78.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.2M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-34.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 ₩88.5K

$54.0 ¥360

22.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 ₩86.3K

$37.09 ¥248

74.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ₩99.3K

$74.3 ¥496

0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 ₩131.8K

$106 ¥705

-6.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

3.36

22.02%

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

Last update for Yongin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yongin

$394 * 37.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 40.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yongin

$279 26.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 72.6% $202

Eating Out

Yongin

$148 14.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 28.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Yongin

$137 13.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Yongin

$75 7.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 11.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Yongin

$6.6 * 0.6%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 444% $29

Accommodation & Living

Yongin

- * 0%

Shanghai

$585 47%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26.00 in Yongin vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $394 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Yongin

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

19:23 7:23 PM

1 h behind Yongin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,004,081

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 →

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Yongin Shanghai 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Yongin vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yongin and Shanghai differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,039 vs $1,244 including rent). Yongin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,559 in Yongin 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.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 68% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,039 per month in Yongin versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,039 in Yongin versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yongin but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yongin 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, Yongin 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 Yongin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.