Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $910 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$910

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $910 in Dalian versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Dalian $910
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,436 in Dalian versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Dalian $1,436
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,961 in Dalian versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Dalian $1,961
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Dalian costs roughly 27% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.49 ¥23.33

$4.56 ¥30.43

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.97 ¥167

$30.21 ¥202

-17.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥34.22

$5.25 ¥35.08

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.05

$3.28 ¥21.91

0.61%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.57 ¥3.84

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.36 ¥2.38

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.23 ¥8.22

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.27 ¥15.16

-36.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$1.84 ¥12.28

-11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$1.96 ¥13.06

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$1.03 ¥6.86

-8.74%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.45

$1.67 ¥11.15

-6.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.01 ¥134

$16.96 ¥113

17.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.40

$3.19 ¥21.30

5.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 ¥84.9

$12.90 ¥86.1

-1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$2.24 ¥14.98

-41.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.66 ¥11.12

-33.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$2.02 ¥13.52

-3.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$1.66 ¥11.07

-46.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$0.77 ¥5.17

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.93 ¥6.20

-22.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$0.63 ¥4.18

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.43

$0.60 ¥3.98

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.55

$3.80 ¥25.40

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.50 ¥96.8

$10.87 ¥72.6

33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ¥7.01

$0.82 ¥5.50

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥12.92

$1.61 ¥10.75

20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.61 ¥4.11

-49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.43 ¥197

$29.40 ¥196

0.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.68

$2.11 ¥14.09

-31.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.43 ¥2.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 ¥27.85

$9.06 ¥60.5

-53.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.33 ¥8.88

-5.26%

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

$19.1K ¥127.6K

$19.0K ¥127.0K

0.43%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-4.07%

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

$64.6 ¥431

$57.8 ¥386

11.71%

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

$8.99 ¥60.0

$8.09 ¥54.0

11.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.47 ¥89.9

$10.48 ¥69.9

28.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 ¥279

$65.7 ¥439

-36.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.00 ¥240

$17.82 ¥119

102.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.30

$8.95 ¥59.8

-24.25%

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

$407 ¥2,720

$1,414 ¥9,438

-71.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K ¥135.2K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-27.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 ¥501

$54.0 ¥360

38.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ¥369

$37.09 ¥248

48.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥761

$74.3 ¥496

53.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ¥801

$106 ¥705

13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ¥2,749

$1,055 ¥7,046

-60.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,600

$585 ¥3,904

-59.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ¥4,713

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-71.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ¥2,919

$1,232 ¥8,228

-64.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,650 ¥17.7K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-80.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ¥10.7K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-74.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 ¥7,309

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-36.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.36

15.77%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$240 26.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 144% $345

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$237 26%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 18%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 25.6% $42

Eating Out

Dalian

$93 10.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 13.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$87 9.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 12.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$55 6.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 50.9% $28

Getting Around

Dalian

$34 3.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 5.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $412 in Dalian and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% 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: $25.00 in Dalian vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

Same time as Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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

Dalian Shanghai 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Shanghai differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($910 vs $1,244 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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: $412 in Dalian versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $407 in Dalian versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $910 in Dalian versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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 Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.