Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jiaxing and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $637 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
Learn more

Jiaxing Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$637

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $637 per month in Jiaxing vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jiaxing $637
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,073 per month in Jiaxing vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jiaxing $1,073
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $1,509 per month in Jiaxing vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Jiaxing $1,509
Shanghai $2,720

Jiaxing is about 48% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jiaxing and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Jiaxing 53% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.11

$4.53 ¥30.16

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.92 ¥153

$30.16 ¥201

-24.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥29.67

$5.11 ¥34.09

-12.92%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ¥20.85

$3.41 ¥22.74

-8.21%

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

$0.49 ¥3.25

$0.58 ¥3.86

-15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.35 ¥2.36

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ¥4.77

$1.23 ¥8.23

-41.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$2.31 ¥15.40

-5.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$1.88 ¥12.54

1.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.41

$1.94 ¥12.90

3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.98 ¥6.53

-41.84%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.70 ¥11.32

12.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥51.2

$17.02 ¥113

-54.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ¥22.25

$3.22 ¥21.45

3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 ¥50.5

$12.93 ¥86.2

-41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$2.15 ¥14.33

-25.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.67

$1.73 ¥11.50

-33.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$2.03 ¥13.53

-50.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$1.73 ¥11.56

-63.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.83 ¥5.52

-31.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.33

$0.92 ¥6.14

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.67 ¥4.49

-23.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.59 ¥3.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.32 ¥35.45

$3.77 ¥25.14

41.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 ¥79.4

$11.03 ¥73.5

7.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$0.90 ¥6.01

-18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$1.60 ¥10.69

-14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.57 ¥3.81

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ¥112

$29.62 ¥197

-43.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$2.14 ¥14.27

-45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.82

$0.47 ¥3.11

-10.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 ¥49.65

$8.74 ¥58.3

-14.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.40

$1.34 ¥8.95

-5.97%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

1.01%

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

$19.0K ¥126.6K

$18.3K ¥121.8K

3.89%

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

$36.89 ¥246

$58.9 ¥393

-37.37%

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

$11.70 ¥78.0

$7.90 ¥52.6

48.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.10 ¥33.97

$10.60 ¥70.7

-51.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.89 ¥253

$64.8 ¥432

-41.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.48 ¥49.83

$17.47 ¥116

-57.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.28 ¥35.19

$9.06 ¥60.4

-41.72%

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

$431 ¥2,871

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-72.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K ¥86.4K

$28.2K ¥188.2K

-54.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.02 ¥233

$54.6 ¥364

-35.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.81 ¥145

$37.21 ¥248

-41.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 ¥423

$74.6 ¥497

-14.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.49 ¥303

$106 ¥708

-57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ¥1,877

$1,026 ¥6,837

-72.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ¥1,180

$559 ¥3,728

-68.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 ¥5,157

$2,618 ¥17.5K

-70.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 ¥2,957

$1,191 ¥7,939

-62.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,887 ¥25.9K

$13.4K ¥89.1K

-70.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 ¥13.8K

$6,527 ¥43.5K

-68.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$736 ¥4,907

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-57.00%

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 Jiaxing: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jiaxing

$177 27.8%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 216% $382

Groceries & Markets

Jiaxing

$176 27.7%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 34.1% $60

Eating Out

Jiaxing

$86 13.5%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 24.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Jiaxing

$75 11.7%

Shanghai

$123 10% 64.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jiaxing

$54 8.4%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 44.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Jiaxing

$48 7.6%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 71.1% $34

Getting Around

Jiaxing

$21 3.3%

Shanghai

$36 3% 73.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Jiaxing versus $1,026 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 in Shanghai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Jiaxing versus $30 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $237 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Jiaxing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,563,700

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jiaxing Shanghai 87 km

From you

Jiaxing
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

Jiaxing vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 92% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $956 per month in Jiaxing and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Jiaxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Jiaxing and $1,587 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiaxing – 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 Jiaxing. 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.