Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Dongguan versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Dongguan $813
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,291 in Dongguan versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Dongguan $1,291
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Dongguan versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Dongguan $1,768
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Dongguan costs roughly 35% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dongguan 40% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 ¥17.18

$4.56 ¥30.47

-43.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.04 ¥147

$30.21 ¥202

-27.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.15

$5.25 ¥35.13

0.19%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.13

$3.28 ¥21.94

-21.95%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.57 ¥3.84

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.36 ¥2.39

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$1.23 ¥8.23

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.79

$2.27 ¥15.18

-2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.84 ¥12.30

-13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.96 ¥13.08

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.90

$1.03 ¥6.87

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.67 ¥11.16

-0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.79 ¥139

$16.96 ¥113

22.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ¥22.99

$3.19 ¥21.33

7.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ¥95.2

$12.90 ¥86.3

10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$2.24 ¥15.00

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$1.66 ¥11.13

-5.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.95

$2.02 ¥13.54

-3.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.66 ¥11.08

-14.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.77 ¥5.17

40.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$0.93 ¥6.21

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.63 ¥4.19

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.60 ¥3.99

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 ¥30.03

$3.80 ¥25.44

18.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$10.87 ¥72.7

9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$0.82 ¥5.51

4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.61 ¥10.76

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.61 ¥4.11

-42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.79 ¥152

$29.40 ¥197

-22.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$2.11 ¥14.11

-44.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.43 ¥2.87

-9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.14

$9.06 ¥60.6

-51.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$1.33 ¥8.89

-3.76%

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

$19.5K ¥130.7K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

2.74%

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

$18.6K ¥124.5K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-0.43%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$57.8 ¥387

10.29%

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

$9.24 ¥61.8

$8.09 ¥54.1

14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.08 ¥87.5

$10.48 ¥70.0

24.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ¥341

$65.7 ¥439

-22.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$17.82 ¥119

-10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ¥51.3

$8.95 ¥59.9

-14.30%

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

$533 ¥3,565

$1,414 ¥9,451

-62.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.6K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-13.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.76 ¥313

$54.0 ¥361

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 ¥270

$37.09 ¥248

8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥490

$74.3 ¥496

-1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.10 ¥261

$106 ¥706

-62.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,490

$1,055 ¥7,056

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$585 ¥3,910

-62.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,426

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-73.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,882

$1,232 ¥8,240

-65.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ¥38.2K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-58.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,066 ¥20.5K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-50.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 ¥5,734

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-49.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$246 30.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 4.7% $12

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$218 26.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 168% $367

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$90 11%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 35.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$86 10.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 11.3% $9.7

Eating Out

Dongguan

$79 9.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 33.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$66 8.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 32.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $372 in Dongguan and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 99% 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: $22.00 in Dongguan vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dongguan Shanghai 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
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

Dongguan vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 99% 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: $372 in Dongguan versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 29% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $533 in Dongguan versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $813 in Dongguan versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.