Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edenvale and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,390 in Edenvale, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Edenvale
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Edenvale Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Edenvale

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,390

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,390 per month in Edenvale vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Edenvale $1,390
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $2,067 per month in Edenvale vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Edenvale $2,067
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $2,744 per month in Edenvale vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Edenvale $2,744
Shanghai $2,720

Edenvale costs about 14% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Edenvale sits 2% above the global median, while Shanghai is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$4.53 ¥30.11

104.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.46 R 709

$30.16 ¥201

40.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.4

$5.11 ¥34.03

14.09%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.62

$3.41 ¥22.70

-32.26%

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

$1.08 R 17.98

$0.58 ¥3.85

86.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.24

$0.35 ¥2.36

125.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 43.14

$1.23 ¥8.22

109.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 R 55.1

$2.31 ¥15.37

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 R 21.00

$1.88 ¥12.52

-32.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.68

$1.94 ¥12.88

-42.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.83

$0.98 ¥6.52

76.53%

Eggs

$2.45 R 40.94

$1.70 ¥11.31

44.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 R 143

$17.02 ¥113

-49.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 R 91.0

$3.22 ¥21.41

68.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$12.93 ¥86.0

-44.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.11

$2.15 ¥14.31

-16.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.92

$1.73 ¥11.48

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.62

$2.03 ¥13.51

-12.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.18

$1.73 ¥11.54

4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.81

$0.83 ¥5.51

72.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.54

$0.92 ¥6.13

92.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.50

$0.67 ¥4.48

74.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.60

$0.59 ¥3.92

108.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 R 54.0

$3.77 ¥25.10

-14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.23 R 87.5

$11.03 ¥73.4

-52.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.73

$0.90 ¥6.00

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.86

$1.60 ¥10.67

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.76

$2.14 ¥14.25

-86.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.22

$0.47 ¥3.10

68.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 R 238

$8.74 ¥58.2

62.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 25.07

$1.34 ¥8.93

11.94%

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

$35.3K R 590.4K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

83.56%

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

$34.1K R 570.1K

$18.3K ¥121.6K

86.66%

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

$148 R 2,479

$58.9 ¥392

151.88%

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

$38.93 R 650

$7.90 ¥52.5

392.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.28 R 623

$10.60 ¥70.5

251.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.86 R 816

$64.8 ¥431

-24.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.81 R 448

$17.47 ¥116

53.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.00 R 117

$9.06 ¥60.3

-22.74%

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

$241 R 4,034

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-84.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,787 R 130.1K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-72.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 971

$54.6 ¥363

6.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.37 R 758

$37.21 ¥248

21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,869

$74.6 ¥496

50.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 R 1,769

$106 ¥707

-0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$1,026 ¥6,825

-30.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 R 10.1K

$559 ¥3,721

8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 R 17.7K

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-59.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 R 17.1K

$1,191 ¥7,926

-13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,045 R 17.5K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-84.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

3.36

224.70%

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

Last update for Edenvale: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edenvale

$606 43.6%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 7.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edenvale

$225 16.2%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 65.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

Edenvale

$201 14.5%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 17.7% $36

Eating Out

Edenvale

$147 10.5%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 27% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Edenvale

$145 10.4%

Shanghai

$123 10% 15.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Edenvale

$63 4.5%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 31.9% $20

Getting Around

Edenvale

$4.2 * 0.3%

Shanghai

$36 3% 758% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Edenvale versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Edenvale versus $30 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Edenvale vs $237 in Shanghai – so Edenvale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Edenvale

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

6 h ahead of Edenvale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Edenvale Shanghai 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Edenvale
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

Edenvale vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edenvale costs about 14% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,085 per month in Edenvale and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edenvale, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,390 in Edenvale and $1,222 in Shanghai. That makes Shanghai about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $241 per month in Edenvale and $1,587 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,390 in Edenvale and $1,222 in Shanghai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Edenvale has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Shanghai to $1,390 in Edenvale. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.