Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,184 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Shanghai $2,755

Beijing (Pekin) is about 5% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$4.56 ¥30.47

-1.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$30.21 ¥202

-1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$5.25 ¥35.13

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.28 ¥21.94

13.41%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.57 ¥3.84

-12.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.36 ¥2.39

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.23 ¥8.23

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.27 ¥15.18

-26.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.84 ¥12.30

-10.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.96 ¥13.08

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.03 ¥6.87

23.30%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.67 ¥11.16

12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$16.96 ¥113

-13.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.19 ¥21.33

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$12.90 ¥86.3

-14.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$2.24 ¥15.00

-9.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.66 ¥11.13

3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$2.02 ¥13.54

2.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.66 ¥11.08

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.77 ¥5.17

-6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.93 ¥6.21

-8.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.63 ¥4.19

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.60 ¥3.99

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.80 ¥25.44

13.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$10.87 ¥72.7

29.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.82 ¥5.51

23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.61 ¥10.76

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.61 ¥4.11

14.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$29.40 ¥197

17.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$2.11 ¥14.11

-9.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.43 ¥2.87

-23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$9.06 ¥60.6

-15.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.33 ¥8.89

0.75%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

1.34%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-2.20%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$57.8 ¥387

-0.85%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$8.09 ¥54.1

12.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$10.48 ¥70.0

35.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$65.7 ¥439

-35.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$17.82 ¥119

38.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$8.95 ¥59.9

-17.32%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$1,414 ¥9,451

-53.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-13.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$54.0 ¥361

29.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$37.09 ¥248

7.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$74.3 ¥496

19.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$106 ¥706

20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$1,055 ¥7,056

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$585 ¥3,910

-10.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-6.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$1,232 ¥8,240

-8.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-11.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

0.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

0.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.36

-7.14%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 11.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 3.5% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 16.7% $24

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 2% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 5.3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 46.3% $26

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 11.6% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $1,055 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 0% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $235 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Beijing (Pekin) Shanghai 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Beijing (Pekin)
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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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.