Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Chaozhou $642
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Chaozhou $1,047
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Chaozhou $1,451
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 49% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaozhou 53% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$4.45 ¥29.78

-49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$30.29 ¥203

-21.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$5.09 ¥34.01

-30.45%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$3.43 ¥22.96

-55.69%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.62 ¥4.15

-20.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.39 ¥2.58

-25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.23 ¥8.25

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$2.21 ¥14.81

29.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.85 ¥12.37

-17.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.95 ¥13.02

-24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.00 ¥6.67

-27.00%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.71 ¥11.43

-32.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$17.47 ¥117

-44.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$3.24 ¥21.66

-22.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$12.99 ¥86.8

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$2.24 ¥14.98

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.68 ¥11.25

-44.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.95 ¥13.03

-52.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$1.73 ¥11.60

1.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.76 ¥5.10

-18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.92 ¥6.15

-48.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.66 ¥4.41

-34.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.60 ¥4.00

-48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$3.69 ¥24.65

-20.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$10.92 ¥73.0

1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.87 ¥5.85

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.63 ¥10.87

-28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.62 ¥4.13

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$30.38 ¥203

-40.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$2.06 ¥13.79

-51.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.46 ¥3.08

-36.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$8.84 ¥59.1

-20.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.33 ¥8.86

-6.77%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.3K ¥128.7K

0.68%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-3.19%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$57.1 ¥382

-23.32%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$8.07 ¥53.9

-46.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$10.70 ¥71.5

5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$64.6 ¥432

-36.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$17.29 ¥116

-13.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$9.05 ¥60.5

-29.72%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$1,441 ¥9,638

-66.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-12.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$53.5 ¥358

-74.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$37.05 ¥248

-23.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$77.0 ¥515

14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$104 ¥694

-42.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$1,023 ¥6,841

-70.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$594 ¥3,971

-69.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-75.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$1,213 ¥8,107

-69.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-73.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-68.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$1,699 ¥11.4K

-71.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.36

2.98%

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

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 31.7% $57

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 231% $414

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 42.9% $37

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 73% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Shanghai

$76 6% 27.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 53.3% $29

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Shanghai

$37 3% 72.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 247% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $238 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

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

On the map

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Between locations

Chaozhou Shanghai 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou and Shanghai differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $1,256 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 247% lower in Shanghai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Chaozhou versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $1,441 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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.

Expats usually find Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.