Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Chengdu is 24.1% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 43.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chengdu is 21.5% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 43.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥20.51

$4.73 ¥33.92

-39.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.94 ¥172

$36.17 ¥259

-33.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥34.66

$5.6 ¥40.18

-13.75%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ¥20.52

$3.56 ¥25.53

-19.66%

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

$0.44 ¥3.15

$0.54 ¥3.9

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.98

$0.36 ¥2.59

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥8.1

$1.43 ¥10.25

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥14.83

$2.76 ¥19.81

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥12.66

$2.18 ¥15.66

-18.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥10.53

$1.81 ¥13

-18.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.69

$1.1 ¥7.9

-15.45%

Eggs

$1.94 ¥13.92

$1.69 ¥12.1

14.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 ¥96.7

$15.79 ¥113

-14.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ¥26.42

$3.17 ¥22.76

16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥79.7

$10.88 ¥78.1

2.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥13.33

$2.26 ¥16.24

-17.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥8.48

$1.67 ¥11.98

-29.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ¥10.31

$1.78 ¥12.78

-19.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥7.32

$1.52 ¥10.94

-32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥5.08

$0.85 ¥6.09

-16.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥5.32

$1.17 ¥8.37

-36.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.6 ¥4.28

$0.68 ¥4.84

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥4.15

$0.6 ¥4.29

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ¥23.27

$2.87 ¥20.56

12.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.92 ¥49.63

$11.16 ¥80

-37.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.68

$0.8 ¥5.73

16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥13.3

$1.56 ¥11.22

18.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.13

$0.4 ¥2.89

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.31 ¥196

$35.15 ¥252

-22.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.74

$2.29 ¥16.45

-46.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ¥2.02

$0.37 ¥2.69

-24.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ¥29.86

$8.14 ¥58.4

-48.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥8.11

$1.09 ¥7.81

3.67%

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

$18.6K ¥133.6K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

-4.69%

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

$16.4K ¥118K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

-9.60%

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

$45.03 ¥323

$51.6 ¥370

-12.65%

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

$11.42 ¥81.9

$8.68 ¥62.2

31.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥84

$13.5 ¥96.8

-13.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.72 ¥170

$46.42 ¥333

-48.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.5 ¥82.5

$20.44 ¥147

-43.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ¥40.78

$8.58 ¥61.5

-33.80%

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

$335 ¥2,400

$1,307 ¥9,378

-74.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥88.3K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-60.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.28 ¥267

$58.8 ¥422

-36.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 ¥282

$36.99 ¥265

6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥472

$77.7 ¥558

-15.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.78 ¥357

$98.5 ¥706

-49.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$314 ¥2,254

$952 ¥6,827

-66.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,309

$574 ¥4,115

-68.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,478

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-75.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ¥2,321

$1,201 ¥8,614

-73.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,049 ¥29K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-71.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,039 ¥14.6K

$7,106 ¥51K

-71.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ¥6,741

$1,534 ¥11K

-38.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.21

3.58

17.60%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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