Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huizhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Huizhou: $774 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Huizhou
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Huizhou Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Huizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Huizhou vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Huizhou $774
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Huizhou vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Huizhou $1,197
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,620 per month in Huizhou vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Huizhou $1,620
Shanghai $2,755

Huizhou is about 38% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Huizhou and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Huizhou 43% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.28

$4.56 ¥30.43

-49.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.54 ¥117

$30.21 ¥202

-41.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.40

$5.25 ¥35.08

-1.90%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.71

$3.28 ¥21.91

-10.06%

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

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.57 ¥3.84

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$0.36 ¥2.38

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ¥6.81

$1.23 ¥8.22

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.20

$2.27 ¥15.16

-25.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.41

$1.84 ¥12.28

1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$1.96 ¥13.06

-19.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$1.03 ¥6.86

6.80%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.67 ¥11.15

-5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 ¥52.1

$16.96 ¥113

-54.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 ¥28.58

$3.19 ¥21.30

34.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.92 ¥79.6

$12.90 ¥86.1

-7.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$2.24 ¥14.98

-18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$1.66 ¥11.12

-25.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$2.02 ¥13.52

-38.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.42

$1.66 ¥11.07

-15.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.77 ¥5.17

20.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.93 ¥6.20

27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.63 ¥4.18

6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.25

$0.60 ¥3.98

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.33

$3.80 ¥25.40

-19.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.80 ¥72.1

$10.87 ¥72.6

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.08

$0.82 ¥5.50

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.13

$1.61 ¥10.75

3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.61 ¥4.11

-49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥120

$29.40 ¥196

-38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ¥6.85

$2.11 ¥14.09

-51.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.70

$0.43 ¥2.86

-6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ¥25.42

$9.06 ¥60.5

-57.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.33 ¥8.88

-11.28%

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

$19.6K ¥130.6K

$19.0K ¥127.0K

2.79%

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

$15.5K ¥103.4K

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-17.25%

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

$50.6 ¥338

$57.8 ¥386

-12.42%

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

$11.45 ¥76.5

$8.09 ¥54.0

41.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.80 ¥65.4

$10.48 ¥69.9

-6.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 ¥273

$65.7 ¥439

-37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 ¥100

$17.82 ¥119

-15.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ¥44.72

$8.95 ¥59.8

-25.14%

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

$418 ¥2,792

$1,414 ¥9,438

-70.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥142.0K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-23.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.19 ¥328

$54.0 ¥360

-8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.73 ¥279

$37.09 ¥248

12.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ¥558

$74.3 ¥496

12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 ¥470

$106 ¥705

-33.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 ¥1,418

$1,055 ¥7,046

-79.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ¥1,579

$585 ¥3,904

-59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 ¥2,617

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-84.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 ¥2,798

$1,232 ¥8,228

-65.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,269 ¥15.1K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-83.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,182 ¥7,894

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-81.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$860 ¥5,741

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-49.75%

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 Huizhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Huizhou

$237 30.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 147% $348

Groceries & Markets

Huizhou

$198 25.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Huizhou

$110 14.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10.6% $12

Eating Out

Huizhou

$81 10.5%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 30.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huizhou

$72 9.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 6.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Huizhou

$54 7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 54% $29

Getting Around

Huizhou

$22 2.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 61.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $212 in Huizhou 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 99% 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 $18.00 in Huizhou versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $235 – making Huizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Huizhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Huizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,597,002

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

Huizhou Shanghai 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Huizhou
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

Huizhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $774 in Huizhou, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,162 per month in Huizhou 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 Huizhou, 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 $18.00 in Huizhou 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 $774 in Huizhou and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Huizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Huizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huizhou – 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 Huizhou. 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.