Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Shanghai

😐 Solo nomad: Dalian is 0.3% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 35.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Dalian is 15.3% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 35.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ¥24.23

$4.73 ¥33.92

-28.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.34 ¥175

$36.17 ¥259

-32.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥35.27

$5.6 ¥40.18

-12.14%

Cappuccino

$3.15 ¥22.58

$3.56 ¥25.53

-11.52%

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

$0.5 ¥3.61

$0.54 ¥3.9

-7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.7

$0.36 ¥2.59

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ¥6.13

$1.43 ¥10.25

-40.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.87

$2.76 ¥19.81

-44.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.6 ¥11.49

$2.18 ¥15.66

-26.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.89

$1.81 ¥13

-16.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ¥6.34

$1.1 ¥7.9

-20.00%

Eggs

$1.96 ¥14.08

$1.69 ¥12.1

15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ¥138

$15.79 ¥113

21.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ¥19.09

$3.17 ¥22.76

-16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10 ¥71.8

$10.88 ¥78.1

-8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.3 ¥9.34

$2.26 ¥16.24

-42.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥8.23

$1.67 ¥11.98

-31.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ¥9.26

$1.78 ¥12.78

-27.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.42

$1.52 ¥10.94

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.94

$0.85 ¥6.09

-18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥5.2

$1.17 ¥8.37

-37.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.37

$0.68 ¥4.84

10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.36

$0.6 ¥4.29

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ¥24.72

$2.87 ¥20.56

20.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.09 ¥144

$11.16 ¥80

80.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥6.01

$0.8 ¥5.73

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥10.47

$1.56 ¥11.22

-6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.94

$0.4 ¥2.89

-32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.35 ¥203

$35.15 ¥252

-19.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.78

$2.29 ¥16.45

-40.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥3.09

$0.37 ¥2.69

16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ¥29.16

$8.14 ¥58.4

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥8.45

$1.09 ¥7.81

8.26%

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

$18K ¥129.1K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

-7.88%

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

$15.8K ¥113K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

-13.40%

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

$43.39 ¥311

$51.6 ¥370

-15.83%

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

$9.24 ¥66.3

$8.68 ¥62.2

6.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥81.2

$13.5 ¥96.8

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.64 ¥263

$46.42 ¥333

-21.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 ¥172

$20.44 ¥147

17.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥48.64

$8.58 ¥61.5

-20.98%

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

$456 ¥3,274

$1,307 ¥9,378

-65.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,378 ¥67.3K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-70.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥392

$58.8 ¥422

-6.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 ¥362

$36.99 ¥265

36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥768

$77.7 ¥558

37.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 ¥678

$98.5 ¥706

-4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,550

$952 ¥6,827

-62.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 ¥1,504

$574 ¥4,115

-63.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 ¥4,507

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-75.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,664

$1,201 ¥8,614

-69.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,947 ¥21.1K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-79.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,493 ¥10.7K

$7,106 ¥51K

-78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 ¥6,152

$1,534 ¥11K

-44.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

3.58

16.76%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 28, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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