Cost of Living Comparison Between Foshan and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Foshan and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Foshan is 12.3% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 39.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Foshan is 10.7% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 36.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 ¥23.17
$4.73 ¥33.92
-31.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.84 ¥157
$36.17 ¥259
-39.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.91 ¥35.19
$5.6 ¥40.18
-12.32%
Cappuccino
$3.06 ¥21.98
$3.56 ¥25.53
-14.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.36
$0.54 ¥3.9
-12.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.3 ¥2.18
$0.36 ¥2.59
-16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.12 ¥8.04
$1.43 ¥10.25
-21.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ¥11.86
$2.76 ¥19.81
-40.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 ¥12.97
$2.18 ¥15.66
-16.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 ¥14.57
$1.81 ¥13
12.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.2 ¥8.6
$1.1 ¥7.9
9.09%
Eggs
$1.79 ¥12.83
$1.69 ¥12.1
5.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.02 ¥93.4
$15.79 ¥113
-17.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.93 ¥28.15
$3.17 ¥22.76
23.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.64 ¥97.8
$10.88 ¥78.1
25.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.79 ¥12.86
$2.26 ¥16.24
-20.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.2 ¥8.61
$1.67 ¥11.98
-28.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.8 ¥12.92
$1.78 ¥12.78
1.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 ¥9.8
$1.52 ¥10.94
-9.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.54
$0.85 ¥6.09
23.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.52
$1.17 ¥8.37
-10.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ¥5.35
$0.68 ¥4.84
10.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.6 ¥4.31
$0.6 ¥4.29
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ¥24.71
$2.87 ¥20.56
20.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 ¥71.9
$11.16 ¥80
-10.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ¥6.93
$0.8 ¥5.73
21.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.4 ¥10.04
$1.56 ¥11.22
-10.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.4 ¥2.89
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.31 ¥81.1
$35.15 ¥252
-67.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.72 ¥12.33
$2.29 ¥16.45
-24.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ¥2.47
$0.37 ¥2.69
-8.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.8 ¥48.76
$8.14 ¥58.4
-16.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.41
$1.09 ¥7.81
7.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ¥151.6K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
8.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K ¥138.5K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
6.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.5 ¥484
$51.6 ¥370
30.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.84 ¥70.6
$8.68 ¥62.2
13.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.81 ¥91.9
$13.5 ¥96.8
-5.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.7 ¥479
$46.42 ¥333
43.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.02 ¥144
$20.44 ¥147
-2.05%
Cinema Ticket
$6.36 ¥45.64
$8.58 ¥61.5
-25.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 ¥2,915
$1,307 ¥9,378
-68.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K ¥134.2K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-40.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.89 ¥315
$58.8 ¥422
-25.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.26 ¥203
$36.99 ¥265
-23.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.6 ¥492
$77.7 ¥558
-11.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.2 ¥575
$98.5 ¥706
-18.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$276 ¥1,977
$952 ¥6,827
-71.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$142 ¥1,022
$574 ¥4,115
-75.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$571 ¥4,096
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-77.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$316 ¥2,268
$1,201 ¥8,614
-73.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,114 ¥29.5K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-71.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,773 ¥12.7K
$7,106 ¥51K
-75.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Foshan
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$770 ¥5,526
$1,534 ¥11K
-49.77%
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 Foshan: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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