Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Hefei versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Hefei $768
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Hefei versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Hefei $1,225
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Hefei versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Hefei $1,681
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Hefei costs roughly 39% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hefei 43% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$4.45 ¥29.78

-42.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$30.29 ¥203

-25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$5.09 ¥34.01

-14.34%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$3.43 ¥22.96

-19.83%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$0.62 ¥4.15

-20.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.39 ¥2.58

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$1.23 ¥8.25

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$2.21 ¥14.81

-9.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.85 ¥12.37

-12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$1.95 ¥13.02

5.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.00 ¥6.67

-19.00%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.71 ¥11.43

12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$17.47 ¥117

-19.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$3.24 ¥21.66

51.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$12.99 ¥86.8

-10.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$2.24 ¥14.98

3.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.68 ¥11.25

2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.95 ¥13.03

-15.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$1.73 ¥11.60

-6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$0.76 ¥5.10

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.92 ¥6.15

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$0.66 ¥4.41

19.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.60 ¥4.00

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$3.69 ¥24.65

-16.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$10.92 ¥73.0

11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.87 ¥5.85

6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$1.63 ¥10.87

22.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.62 ¥4.13

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$30.38 ¥203

48.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$2.06 ¥13.79

-40.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.46 ¥3.08

-28.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$8.84 ¥59.1

-60.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$1.33 ¥8.86

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.3K ¥128.7K

-1.18%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-7.42%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$57.1 ¥382

-15.01%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$8.07 ¥53.9

18.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$10.70 ¥71.5

12.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$64.6 ¥432

-75.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$17.29 ¥116

-11.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$9.05 ¥60.5

-29.17%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$1,441 ¥9,638

-83.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-69.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$53.5 ¥358

67.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$37.05 ¥248

-11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$77.0 ¥515

-18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$104 ¥694

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$1,023 ¥6,841

-76.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$594 ¥3,971

-69.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-79.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$1,213 ¥8,107

-72.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-73.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-68.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$1,699 ¥11.4K

-40.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.36

-6.25%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 1.3% $3

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 232% $415

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 3.8% $4.8

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 34.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Shanghai

$76 6% 8.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Shanghai

$37 3% 24.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 190% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Hefei and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 68% 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 Hefei vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $238 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

Same time as Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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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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

Hefei vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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: $241 in Hefei versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Hefei versus $1,256 in Shanghai – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.