Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Chongqing is 29.9% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 49.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chongqing is 28% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 46.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.77 ¥19.84
$4.73 ¥33.92
-41.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.62 ¥148
$36.17 ¥259
-42.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 ¥34.15
$5.6 ¥40.18
-15.00%
Cappuccino
$2.41 ¥17.26
$3.56 ¥25.53
-32.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.14
$0.54 ¥3.9
-18.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.92
$0.36 ¥2.59
-25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.95 ¥6.84
$1.43 ¥10.25
-33.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ¥14.71
$2.76 ¥19.81
-25.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥12.55
$2.18 ¥15.66
-19.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.2 ¥8.61
$1.81 ¥13
-33.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.67 ¥4.83
$1.1 ¥7.9
-39.09%
Eggs
$1.86 ¥13.34
$1.69 ¥12.1
10.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.98 ¥115
$15.79 ¥113
1.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.59 ¥18.59
$3.17 ¥22.76
-18.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.34 ¥74.2
$10.88 ¥78.1
-4.96%
Apples (1kg)
$1.48 ¥10.6
$2.26 ¥16.24
-34.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 ¥9.23
$1.67 ¥11.98
-22.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.71
$1.78 ¥12.78
-39.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.11 ¥7.99
$1.52 ¥10.94
-26.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ¥4.67
$0.85 ¥6.09
-23.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.58
$1.17 ¥8.37
-21.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.53 ¥3.8
$0.68 ¥4.84
-22.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 ¥4.77
$0.6 ¥4.29
10.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.05 ¥21.87
$2.87 ¥20.56
6.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.98 ¥50.1
$11.16 ¥80
-37.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 ¥7.44
$0.8 ¥5.73
30.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ¥14.11
$1.56 ¥11.22
26.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.4 ¥2.89
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.34 ¥182
$35.15 ¥252
-27.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ¥9.74
$2.29 ¥16.45
-40.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.3 ¥2.14
$0.37 ¥2.69
-18.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.87 ¥20.56
$8.14 ¥58.4
-64.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥8.23
$1.09 ¥7.81
5.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.8K ¥128K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
-8.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.3K ¥117.1K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
-10.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$35.95 ¥258
$51.6 ¥370
-30.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.96 ¥42.78
$8.68 ¥62.2
-31.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.22 ¥59
$13.5 ¥96.8
-39.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.69 ¥156
$46.42 ¥333
-53.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.87 ¥114
$20.44 ¥147
-22.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.58 ¥40.04
$8.58 ¥61.5
-34.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$339 ¥2,431
$1,307 ¥9,378
-74.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.3K ¥195.8K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-13.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.44 ¥211
$58.8 ¥422
-49.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.44 ¥211
$36.99 ¥265
-20.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.8 ¥429
$77.7 ¥558
-23.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.8 ¥436
$98.5 ¥706
-38.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$265 ¥1,899
$952 ¥6,827
-72.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$161 ¥1,154
$574 ¥4,115
-71.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$570 ¥4,090
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-77.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$323 ¥2,317
$1,201 ¥8,614
-73.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,411 ¥17.3K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-83.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,339 ¥9,603
$7,106 ¥51K
-81.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chongqing
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$899 ¥6,451
$1,534 ¥11K
-41.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.74
3.58
4.47%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.