Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Hefei is 4.1% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 38.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Hefei is 15.5% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 40% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 ¥24.89

$4.73 ¥33.92

-26.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.8 ¥121

$36.17 ¥259

-53.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.26 ¥30.56

$5.6 ¥40.18

-23.93%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ¥16.14

$3.56 ¥25.53

-36.80%

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

$0.43 ¥3.08

$0.54 ¥3.9

-20.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.64

$0.36 ¥2.59

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.8 ¥5.74

$1.43 ¥10.25

-44.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥14.62

$2.76 ¥19.81

-26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥11.55

$2.18 ¥15.66

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥11.4

$1.81 ¥13

-12.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ¥8.52

$1.1 ¥7.9

8.18%

Eggs

$1.85 ¥13.3

$1.69 ¥12.1

9.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 ¥58.3

$15.79 ¥113

-48.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 ¥30.49

$3.17 ¥22.76

34.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 ¥73.6

$10.88 ¥78.1

-5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥13.1

$2.26 ¥16.24

-19.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ¥6.38

$1.67 ¥11.98

-46.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥9.15

$1.78 ¥12.78

-28.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥6.05

$1.52 ¥10.94

-44.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.59

$0.85 ¥6.09

-24.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.45

$1.17 ¥8.37

-58.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ¥3.74

$0.68 ¥4.84

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.92

$0.6 ¥4.29

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 ¥19.74

$2.87 ¥20.56

-4.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 ¥49.37

$11.16 ¥80

-38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥5.09

$0.8 ¥5.73

-11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.89

$1.56 ¥11.22

6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.61

$0.4 ¥2.89

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.22 ¥303

$35.15 ¥252

20.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.71

$2.29 ¥16.45

-41.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.85

$0.37 ¥2.69

-29.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 ¥18.34

$8.14 ¥58.4

-68.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥8.38

$1.09 ¥7.81

7.34%

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

$19.3K ¥138.5K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

-1.14%

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

$19.2K ¥137.7K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

5.51%

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

$41.36 ¥297

$51.6 ¥370

-19.77%

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

$12.99 ¥93.2

$8.68 ¥62.2

49.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.02 ¥101

$13.5 ¥96.8

3.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.6 ¥593

$46.42 ¥333

77.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.14 ¥87.1

$20.44 ¥147

-40.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥42.17

$8.58 ¥61.5

-31.47%

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

$260 ¥1,863

$1,307 ¥9,378

-80.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,963 ¥64.3K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-71.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ¥424

$58.8 ¥422

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.37 ¥218

$36.99 ¥265

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 ¥434

$77.7 ¥558

-22.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥526

$98.5 ¥706

-25.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ¥1,642

$952 ¥6,827

-75.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ¥1,263

$574 ¥4,115

-69.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ¥3,536

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-80.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ¥2,610

$1,201 ¥8,614

-69.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,659 ¥26.2K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-74.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 ¥15.8K

$7,106 ¥51K

-69.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$917 ¥6,575

$1,534 ¥11K

-40.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

3.58

22.07%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 29, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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