Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Bacau $916
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Shanghai $2,720

Bacau is about 25% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bacau and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Bacau 33% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 68.2

$4.53 ¥30.16

213.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 407

$30.16 ¥201

180.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.81

$5.11 ¥34.09

41.68%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.41 ¥22.74

-40.18%

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

$2.01 RON 9.64

$0.58 ¥3.86

246.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.99

$0.35 ¥2.36

434.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.88

$1.23 ¥8.23

100.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 16.04

$2.31 ¥15.40

44.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.68

$1.88 ¥12.54

-37.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$1.94 ¥12.90

-63.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.12

$0.98 ¥6.53

72.45%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.67

$1.70 ¥11.32

104.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.92

$17.02 ¥113

-54.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.62

$3.22 ¥21.45

65.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.89

$12.93 ¥86.2

-35.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.27

$2.15 ¥14.33

-48.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.12

$1.73 ¥11.50

-14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.15

$2.03 ¥13.53

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.80

$1.73 ¥11.56

5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.48

$0.83 ¥5.52

-13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.29

$0.92 ¥6.14

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.59

$0.67 ¥4.49

11.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$0.59 ¥3.93

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.71

$3.77 ¥25.14

41.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.25

$11.03 ¥73.5

-52.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.90

$0.90 ¥6.01

13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.64

$1.60 ¥10.69

-26.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$0.57 ¥3.81

22.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 140

$29.62 ¥197

-1.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$2.14 ¥14.27

-71.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$0.47 ¥3.11

38.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.32

$8.74 ¥58.3

-23.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$1.34 ¥8.95

32.84%

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

$28.9K RON 138.9K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

50.09%

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

$24.8K RON 119.4K

$18.3K ¥121.8K

35.89%

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

$106 RON 509

$58.9 ¥393

79.90%

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

$7.47 RON 35.91

$7.90 ¥52.6

-5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.25

$10.60 ¥70.7

-56.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 122

$64.8 ¥432

-60.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.8

$17.47 ¥116

-8.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.26

$9.06 ¥60.4

-32.78%

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

$589 RON 2,831

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-62.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 24.0K

$28.2K ¥188.2K

-82.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 409

$54.6 ¥364

55.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 154

$37.21 ¥248

-14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 290

$74.6 ¥497

-19.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 400

$106 ¥708

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 2,000

$1,026 ¥6,837

-59.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,136

$559 ¥3,728

-57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,637

$2,618 ¥17.5K

-79.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,946

$1,191 ¥7,939

-66.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,676

$13.4K ¥89.1K

-86.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,907

$6,527 ¥43.5K

-81.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,502

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-45.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

3.36

107.44%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 137% $323

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 44.9% $87

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 34% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 34.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Shanghai

$123 10% 4.7% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 121% $45

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Shanghai

$36 3% 1.6% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Shanghai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $30 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $237 in Shanghai – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

6 h ahead of Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bacau Shanghai 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
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

Bacau vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Bacau and $1,222 in Shanghai. That’s a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $589 per month in Bacau and $1,587 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bacau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.