Cost of living comparison

South Korea

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Suwon Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 8.7% cheaper than Suwon.

Restaurants: pay 33.1% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 52.1% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 23.7% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 42.5% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 78.4% more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 16.7% less in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 2.1% less in Shanghai

The cost of childcare and housing in Shanghai are more expensive than in Suwon. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Shanghai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.

Planning a move to China? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Shanghai vs. Suwon Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of Suwon, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 33.1% less for restaurants

	Suwon	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.00 ₩8,008	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-25.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.46 ₩9,962	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-30.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.57 ₩2,092	$0.60 CN¥4.01	-61.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 ₩806	$0.37 CN¥2.47	-38.7%
Average			-33.1%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 52.1% less for groceries

	Suwon	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$2.61 ₩3,482	$1.98 CN¥13.22	-24.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.59 ₩7,462	$8.60 CN¥57.52	+53.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$9.87 ₩13,180	$6.88 CN¥46.02	-30.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.17 ₩4,237	$1.70 CN¥11.36	-46.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.18 ₩6,914	$1.48 CN¥9.89	-71.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.82 ₩3,764	$0.99 CN¥6.65	-64.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.32 ₩1,762	$0.77 CN¥5.16	-41.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.44 ₩3,251	$0.90 CN¥6.05	-62.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.95 ₩2,598	$0.77 CN¥5.15	-60.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.58 ₩2,109	$0.36 CN¥2.40	-77.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.20 ₩1,604	$0.43 CN¥2.90	-64.0%
Average			-52.1%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 23.7% less for transportation

	Suwon	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.10 ₩6,811	$4.96 CN¥33.21	-2.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$47.40 ₩63,262	$29.83 CN¥199.59	-37.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$28,162.26 ₩38M	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-31.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$7.92 ₩10,576	$5.67 CN¥37.92	-28.5%
Average			-23.7%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 42.5% more for housing

	Suwon	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$17.91 ₩23,910	$10.55 CN¥70.59	-41.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$435.40 ₩581K	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	+138.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$348.32 ₩465K	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	+69.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$142.51 ₩190K	$44.06 CN¥294.77	-69.1%
Average			+42.5%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 78.4% more for childcare

	Suwon	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$691.66 ₩923K	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	+104.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$17,773.54 ₩24M	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+55.8%
Average			+78.4%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 16.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Suwon	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.73 ₩4,981	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-68.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.36 ₩4,483	$3.35 CN¥22.41	-0.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 ₩4,981	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-0.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$43.79 ₩58,446	$65.69 CN¥439.52	+50.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.20 ₩14,944	$8.95 CN¥59.88	-20.1%
Average			-16.7%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.1% less for clothing

	Suwon	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.32 ₩49,812	$54.37 CN¥363.79	+45.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$106.98 ₩143K	$37.09 CN¥248.19	-65.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$74.37 ₩99,264	$75.49 CN¥505.08	+1.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$59.02 ₩78,770	$105.70 CN¥707.25	+79.1%
Average			-2.1%

Suwon vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Suwon vs. Shanghai

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Shanghai?

More cost comparisons

Suwon vs.

Berlin

Suwon vs.

Reykjavik

Suwon vs.

Sydney

Suwon vs.

Toronto

Suwon vs.

Ho Chi Minh City

Suwon vs.

Bangkok

Suwon vs.

Lima

Suwon vs.

Cairo

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in South Korea vs. China. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Korea and China.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Suwon

Add prices for Shanghai

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Shanghai or Suwon. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.