Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huzhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $815 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Huzhou
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Huzhou Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Huzhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Huzhou $815
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,338 in Huzhou versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Huzhou $1,338
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,861 in Huzhou versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Huzhou $1,861
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Huzhou costs roughly 35% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Huzhou 40% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ¥30.58

$4.45 ¥29.70

2.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 ¥202

$30.29 ¥202

-0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥33.93

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.02

$3.43 ¥22.90

-3.79%

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

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.62 ¥4.14

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.39 ¥2.57

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$1.23 ¥8.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$2.21 ¥14.77

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.27

$1.85 ¥12.34

-0.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 ¥13.34

$1.95 ¥12.99

2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.00 ¥6.65

-2.00%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.14

$1.71 ¥11.41

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.31 ¥115

$17.47 ¥117

-0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 ¥21.35

$3.24 ¥21.61

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.91 ¥86.1

$12.99 ¥86.6

-0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.79

$2.24 ¥14.95

-0.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.64

$1.68 ¥11.22

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.13

$1.95 ¥13.00

1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.17

$1.73 ¥11.57

-3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.36

$0.76 ¥5.09

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.92 ¥6.14

6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.66 ¥4.40

-6.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.60 ¥3.99

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.36

$3.69 ¥24.59

2.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 ¥72.9

$10.92 ¥72.9

0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$0.87 ¥5.83

1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.63 ¥10.84

-5.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.62 ¥4.12

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.52 ¥124

$30.38 ¥203

-39.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ¥14.13

$2.06 ¥13.76

2.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.46 ¥3.07

-6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 ¥60.9

$8.84 ¥59.0

3.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.33 ¥8.84

0.75%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.3K ¥128.4K

2.25%

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

$17.9K ¥119.7K

$18.2K ¥121.7K

-1.68%

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

$58.6 ¥391

$57.1 ¥381

2.64%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$8.07 ¥53.8

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.71 ¥71.4

$10.70 ¥71.3

0.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.06 ¥254

$64.6 ¥431

-41.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ¥112

$17.29 ¥115

-3.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 ¥60.1

$9.05 ¥60.3

-0.55%

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

$394 ¥2,625

$1,441 ¥9,614

-72.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K ¥185.5K

$28.2K ¥188.0K

-1.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 ¥367

$53.5 ¥357

2.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.51 ¥250

$37.05 ¥247

1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥498

$77.0 ¥513

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ¥714

$104 ¥693

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,997

$1,023 ¥6,825

-70.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,275

$594 ¥3,961

-67.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,044

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-76.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,742

$1,213 ¥8,088

-66.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,370 ¥22.5K

$13.5K ¥90.2K

-75.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥12.7K

$6,247 ¥41.7K

-69.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,184 ¥7,898

$1,699 ¥11.3K

-30.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Huzhou: 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

Huzhou

$237 29.1%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 0.4% $0.9

Accommodation & Living

Huzhou

$191 23.5%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 211% $403

Clothing & Footwear

Huzhou

$123 15.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 1% $1.2

Eating Out

Huzhou

$106 13%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 0.7% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huzhou

$77 9.5%

Shanghai

$76 6% 2% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Huzhou

$56 6.9%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 47.5% $27

Getting Around

Huzhou

$24 2.9%

Shanghai

$37 3% 55.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $299 in Huzhou and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 44% 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: $30.00 in Huzhou vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $238 per month, with Huzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

Same time as Huzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,893,542

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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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

Huzhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $299 in Huzhou versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $815 in Huzhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Huzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Huzhou 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 Huzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.