Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $924 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $924
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,942 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942
Shanghai $2,755

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 26% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$4.56 ¥30.47

-33.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.30 ¥203

$30.21 ¥202

0.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.94

$5.25 ¥35.13

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥20.77

$3.28 ¥21.94

-5.18%

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

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.57 ¥3.84

-7.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.36 ¥2.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.23

$1.23 ¥8.23

12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥17.46

$2.27 ¥15.18

14.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.04

$1.84 ¥12.30

-2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ¥12.60

$1.96 ¥13.08

-4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.03 ¥6.87

11.65%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.67 ¥11.16

-8.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.43 ¥110

$16.96 ¥113

-3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ¥34.78

$3.19 ¥21.33

63.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.31 ¥82.3

$12.90 ¥86.3

-4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.87

$2.24 ¥15.00

-0.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.27

$1.66 ¥11.13

-25.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.62

$2.02 ¥13.54

-28.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$1.66 ¥11.08

3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$0.77 ¥5.17

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$0.93 ¥6.21

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.29

$0.63 ¥4.19

25.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.34

$0.60 ¥3.99

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.83

$3.80 ¥25.44

-2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 ¥70.4

$10.87 ¥72.7

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$0.82 ¥5.51

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.78

$1.61 ¥10.76

18.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.61 ¥4.11

-29.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ¥147

$29.40 ¥197

-25.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$2.11 ¥14.11

-13.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.71

$0.43 ¥2.87

-4.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 ¥46.90

$9.06 ¥60.6

-22.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥9.24

$1.33 ¥8.89

3.76%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

0.93%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-4.56%

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

$61.5 ¥411

$57.8 ¥387

6.37%

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

$16.36 ¥109

$8.09 ¥54.1

102.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$10.48 ¥70.0

40.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 ¥468

$65.7 ¥439

6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.38 ¥82.8

$17.82 ¥119

-30.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ¥44.22

$8.95 ¥59.9

-26.15%

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

$1,506 ¥10.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

6.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.0K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-13.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.95 ¥334

$54.0 ¥361

-7.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 ¥280

$37.09 ¥248

12.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 ¥557

$74.3 ¥496

12.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥477

$106 ¥706

-32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥3,602

$1,055 ¥7,056

-48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$585 ¥3,910

-52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥8,832

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-46.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,113

$1,232 ¥8,240

-62.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,749 ¥58.5K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-37.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,420 ¥22.9K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-45.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 ¥8,558

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-25.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.36

0.60%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 110% $307

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 1.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 17.5% $16

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 14.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 30.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,055 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 34% higher in Shanghai, 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $239 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $235 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

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

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Guangzhou (Canton) Shanghai 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Guangzhou (Canton)
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,385 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.