Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Dongguan is 16.4% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 39.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Dongguan is 18.4% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 37.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ¥17.4

$4.73 ¥33.92

-48.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.54 ¥147

$36.17 ¥259

-43.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ¥31.68

$5.6 ¥40.18

-21.07%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥19.17

$3.56 ¥25.53

-25.00%

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

$0.44 ¥3.18

$0.54 ¥3.9

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥2.1

$0.36 ¥2.59

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥8.11

$1.43 ¥10.25

-20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥16.27

$2.76 ¥19.81

-17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.7 ¥12.22

$2.18 ¥15.66

-22.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥10.62

$1.81 ¥13

-18.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.89

$1.1 ¥7.9

-12.73%

Eggs

$1.8 ¥12.93

$1.69 ¥12.1

6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥90.4

$15.79 ¥113

-20.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 ¥27.82

$3.17 ¥22.76

22.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.65 ¥83.6

$10.88 ¥78.1

7.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥13

$2.26 ¥16.24

-19.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 ¥10.22

$1.67 ¥11.98

-14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.8 ¥12.9

$1.78 ¥12.78

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.76

$1.52 ¥10.94

-10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.72

$0.85 ¥6.09

10.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ¥10.44

$1.17 ¥8.37

24.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.49

$0.68 ¥4.84

-7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥4.21

$0.6 ¥4.29

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 ¥19.79

$2.87 ¥20.56

-3.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 ¥89.1

$11.16 ¥80

11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥6.24

$0.8 ¥5.73

8.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥13.87

$1.56 ¥11.22

23.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥2.09

$0.4 ¥2.89

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.85 ¥150

$35.15 ¥252

-40.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.8

$2.29 ¥16.45

-46.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.7

$0.37 ¥2.69

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 ¥39.05

$8.14 ¥58.4

-33.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥8.47

$1.09 ¥7.81

8.26%

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

$20.6K ¥147.7K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

5.37%

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

$20.4K ¥146.2K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

12.00%

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

$62.6 ¥449

$51.6 ¥370

21.42%

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

$8.38 ¥60.1

$8.68 ¥62.2

-3.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.1 ¥86.8

$13.5 ¥96.8

-10.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61 ¥437

$46.42 ¥333

31.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 ¥95.1

$20.44 ¥147

-35.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.81 ¥48.83

$8.58 ¥61.5

-20.63%

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

$454 ¥3,257

$1,307 ¥9,378

-65.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K ¥148.8K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-33.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.74 ¥213

$58.8 ¥422

-49.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.67 ¥177

$36.99 ¥265

-33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 ¥446

$77.7 ¥558

-20.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.06 ¥273

$98.5 ¥706

-61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,598

$952 ¥6,827

-61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,528

$574 ¥4,115

-62.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 ¥4,802

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-73.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 ¥3,004

$1,201 ¥8,614

-65.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,873 ¥49.3K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-52.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,541 ¥25.4K

$7,106 ¥51K

-50.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$763 ¥5,476

$1,534 ¥11K

-50.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

3.58

12.85%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 26, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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