Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heze and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $685 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Heze
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Heze Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Heze vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Heze $685
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $1,068 per month in Heze vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Heze $1,068
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,450 per month in Heze vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Heze $1,450
Shanghai $2,743

Heze is about 45% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Heze and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Heze 49% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 ¥17.29

$4.45 ¥29.78

-41.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.12 ¥74.3

$30.29 ¥203

-63.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 ¥33.63

$5.09 ¥34.01

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ¥16.36

$3.43 ¥22.96

-28.57%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.62 ¥4.15

-29.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$0.39 ¥2.58

-41.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$1.23 ¥8.25

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$2.21 ¥14.81

-10.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.85 ¥12.37

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.95 ¥13.02

-25.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.00 ¥6.67

24.00%

Eggs

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.71 ¥11.43

-35.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 ¥79.4

$17.47 ¥117

-32.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥22.02

$3.24 ¥21.66

1.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 ¥76.3

$12.99 ¥86.8

-12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.30

$2.24 ¥14.98

-37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.05

$1.68 ¥11.25

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.51

$1.95 ¥13.03

-27.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.73 ¥11.60

-36.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.76 ¥5.10

-19.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$0.92 ¥6.15

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ¥3.54

$0.66 ¥4.41

-19.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.60 ¥4.00

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.69 ¥24.65

0.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 ¥68.2

$10.92 ¥73.0

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.87 ¥5.85

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.63 ¥10.87

-18.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.62 ¥4.13

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.90 ¥120

$30.38 ¥203

-41.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ¥6.91

$2.06 ¥13.79

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.46 ¥3.08

-45.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 ¥30.39

$8.84 ¥59.1

-48.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$1.33 ¥8.86

-25.56%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$19.3K ¥128.7K

1.04%

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

$14.8K ¥99.0K

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-18.84%

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

$71.7 ¥479

$57.1 ¥382

25.56%

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

$6.70 ¥44.78

$8.07 ¥53.9

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.04 ¥33.72

$10.70 ¥71.5

-52.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.70 ¥279

$64.6 ¥432

-35.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.68 ¥98.1

$17.29 ¥116

-15.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ¥35.44

$9.05 ¥60.5

-41.44%

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

$219 ¥1,462

$1,441 ¥9,638

-84.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ¥134.8K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-28.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.10 ¥221

$53.5 ¥358

-38.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.31 ¥283

$37.05 ¥248

14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥398

$77.0 ¥515

-22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 ¥344

$104 ¥694

-50.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,019

$1,023 ¥6,841

-70.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,198

$594 ¥3,971

-69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,162

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,494

$1,213 ¥8,107

-69.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,494 ¥23.4K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-74.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,913 ¥12.8K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-69.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 ¥3,932

$1,699 ¥11.4K

-65.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

3.36

-6.85%

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

Last update for Heze: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Heze

$188 27.5%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 26.1% $49

Accommodation & Living

Heze

$179 26.2%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 232% $415

Clothing & Footwear

Heze

$84 12.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 45.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heze

$83 12.2%

Shanghai

$76 6% 9.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Heze

$76 11.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 39.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Heze

$52 7.6%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 58.1% $30

Getting Around

Heze

$21 3.1%

Shanghai

$37 3% 74.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $302 in Heze versus $1,023 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 189% 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 $11.00 in Heze versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $238 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heze

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

Same time as Heze

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,795,939

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

On the map

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Between locations

Heze Shanghai 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Heze
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

Heze vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $685 in Heze, $1,256 in Shanghai – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Heze and $1,884 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Heze and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $685 in Heze and $1,256 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heze – 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 Heze. 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.