Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dili outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Shanghai $2,789

Dili costs about 26% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dili sits 17% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$4.55 ¥30.40

12.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$29.52 ¥197

43.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.10 ¥34.08

55.10%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$3.42 ¥22.88

22.22%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$0.61 ¥4.11

167.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.36 ¥2.40

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.21 ¥8.07

112.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.29 ¥15.31

94.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.86 ¥12.46

27.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.01 ¥13.45

25.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.02 ¥6.83

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$1.72 ¥11.46

55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$17.19 ¥115

-88.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$3.35 ¥22.39

180.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$12.80 ¥85.5

23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.17 ¥14.51

51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.74 ¥11.65

6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.94 ¥12.96

28.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.68 ¥11.23

34.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.77 ¥5.17

61.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$0.93 ¥6.21

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.62 ¥4.16

37.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.58 ¥3.88

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.83 ¥25.60

-19.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.94 ¥73.1

9.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.84 ¥5.59

160.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.60 ¥10.71

80.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.59 ¥3.92

-59.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$30.27 ¥202

-1.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.06 ¥13.77

70.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.47 ¥3.13

661.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$8.80 ¥58.8

124.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.27 ¥8.51

13.39%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

-8.24%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$18.6K ¥124.2K

-9.99%

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

$152 $152

$57.2 ¥382

165.16%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$8.06 ¥53.8

241.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$64.6 ¥432

-23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$8.84 ¥59.1

-30.20%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$1,437 ¥9,605

2.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-42.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$54.7 ¥365

11.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$36.43 ¥243

-16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$75.4 ¥504

5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$104 ¥695

-42.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,039 ¥6,945

-20.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$589 ¥3,933

29.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$2,487 ¥16.6K

10.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$1,237 ¥8,268

21.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$1,715 ¥11.5K

113.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.36

59.82%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 22.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Shanghai

$237 19% 13.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 57.7% $103

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 30.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 33.2% $21

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Shanghai

$37 3% 29% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $1,039 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 113% higher in Dili, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Shanghai 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

Dili vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $30.00 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 $1,574 in Dili and $1,250 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Dili at $1,574. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.