Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chuzhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Chuzhou
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Chuzhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Chuzhou vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Chuzhou $685
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Chuzhou vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Chuzhou $1,120
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Chuzhou vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Chuzhou $1,555
Shanghai $2,720

Chuzhou is about 44% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chuzhou and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Chuzhou 50% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.18

$4.53 ¥30.16

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥149

$30.16 ¥201

-26.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.70

$5.11 ¥34.09

-6.85%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥15.34

$3.41 ¥22.74

-32.55%

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

$0.53 ¥3.55

$0.58 ¥3.86

-8.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.35 ¥2.36

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$1.23 ¥8.23

-64.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$2.31 ¥15.40

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$1.88 ¥12.54

-18.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.77

$1.94 ¥12.90

6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$0.98 ¥6.53

-14.29%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.82

$1.70 ¥11.32

-22.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ¥70.5

$17.02 ¥113

-37.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 ¥20.18

$3.22 ¥21.45

-5.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.07 ¥60.5

$12.93 ¥86.2

-29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.90

$2.15 ¥14.33

-2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.73 ¥11.50

-27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.41

$2.03 ¥13.53

-15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$1.73 ¥11.56

-38.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.97

$0.83 ¥5.52

8.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$0.92 ¥6.14

5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.67 ¥4.49

32.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.47

$0.59 ¥3.93

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.55

$3.77 ¥25.14

1.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.28 ¥88.5

$11.03 ¥73.5

20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.32

$0.90 ¥6.01

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.36

$1.60 ¥10.69

-3.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.57 ¥3.81

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.20 ¥128

$29.62 ¥197

-35.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.68

$2.14 ¥14.27

-18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.47 ¥3.11

-12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.09 ¥60.6

$8.74 ¥58.3

4.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.34 ¥8.95

-1.49%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

0.32%

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

$17.4K ¥115.7K

$18.3K ¥121.8K

-5.08%

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

$55.5 ¥370

$58.9 ¥393

-5.76%

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

$7.88 ¥52.5

$7.90 ¥52.6

-0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.51

$10.60 ¥70.7

-31.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 ¥287

$64.8 ¥432

-33.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 ¥107

$17.47 ¥116

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.47

$9.06 ¥60.4

-33.00%

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

$441 ¥2,937

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-72.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ¥152.1K

$28.2K ¥188.2K

-19.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.42 ¥289

$54.6 ¥364

-20.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.55 ¥230

$37.21 ¥248

-7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 ¥432

$74.6 ¥497

-13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 ¥584

$106 ¥708

-17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ¥1,686

$1,026 ¥6,837

-75.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ¥1,097

$559 ¥3,728

-70.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,039

$2,618 ¥17.5K

-76.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,507

$1,191 ¥7,939

-68.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 ¥20.1K

$13.4K ¥89.1K

-77.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥13.3K

$6,527 ¥43.5K

-69.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

3.36

1.79%

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

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chuzhou

$198 28.9%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 19.6% $39

Accommodation & Living

Chuzhou

$165 24%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 240% $395

Clothing & Footwear

Chuzhou

$104 15.1%

Shanghai

$123 10% 18.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chuzhou

$71 10.3%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 9.5% $6.7

Eating Out

Chuzhou

$69 10%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 56.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chuzhou

$55 8.1%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 50.1% $28

Getting Around

Chuzhou

$24 3.5%

Shanghai

$36 3% 49.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Chuzhou versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chuzhou versus $30 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $237 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Chuzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,987,054

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Chuzhou Shanghai 320 km

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Chuzhou
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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

Chuzhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 78% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,027 per month in Chuzhou and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chuzhou and $30 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 $685 in Chuzhou and $1,222 in Shanghai. That’s a gap of about 78%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chuzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 78% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.