Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Bukit Mertajam $621
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $976 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Bukit Mertajam $976
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Bukit Mertajam $1,331
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 49% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 MYR 7.76

$4.53 ¥30.07

-57.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.97 MYR 85.0

$30.16 ¥200

-30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 MYR 16.15

$5.11 ¥33.99

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.72

$3.41 ¥22.67

-7.92%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.81

$0.58 ¥3.85

18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.35 ¥2.36

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.28

$1.23 ¥8.21

266.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 MYR 25.38

$2.31 ¥15.35

171.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.73

$1.88 ¥12.50

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.94 ¥12.86

-42.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.91

$0.98 ¥6.51

98.98%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.33

$1.70 ¥11.29

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 MYR 56.1

$17.02 ¥113

-18.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 MYR 17.89

$3.22 ¥21.38

36.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 MYR 40.48

$12.93 ¥85.9

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.74

$2.15 ¥14.29

57.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.13

$1.73 ¥11.46

1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.17

$2.03 ¥13.49

11.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.29

$1.73 ¥11.52

-10.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.13

$0.83 ¥5.50

53.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$0.92 ¥6.12

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$0.67 ¥4.47

67.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.70

$0.59 ¥3.92

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$3.77 ¥25.06

18.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 MYR 79.2

$11.03 ¥73.3

77.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 13.85

$0.90 ¥5.99

280.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 MYR 20.61

$1.60 ¥10.66

217.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.01

$2.14 ¥14.23

-42.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.47 ¥3.10

153.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MYR 20.07

$8.74 ¥58.1

-43.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$1.34 ¥8.92

-39.55%

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

$43.9K MYR 177.8K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

127.82%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

94.25%

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

$63.1 MYR 256

$58.9 ¥391

7.10%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.62

$7.90 ¥52.5

8.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 MYR 108

$10.60 ¥70.4

151.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$9.06 ¥60.2

-44.81%

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

$249 MYR 1,009

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-84.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.2K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-53.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MYR 286

$54.6 ¥363

29.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MYR 168

$37.21 ¥247

11.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 352

$74.6 ¥495

16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MYR 385

$106 ¥706

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 MYR 2,321

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-66.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.36

24.11%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 12.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3%

Shanghai

$123 10% 7.1% $9.4

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 2.3% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 21.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 728% $73

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2%

Shanghai

$36 3% 405% $29

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Shanghai pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $21 in Bukit Mertajam vs $30 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $237, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Shanghai 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

Bukit Mertajam vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $621 in Bukit Mertajam and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Bukit Mertajam is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Bukit Mertajam. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $621 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,222 in Shanghai – Bukit Mertajam is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bukit Mertajam wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.