Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaifeng and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
Learn more

Kaifeng Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Kaifeng $500
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $792 in Kaifeng versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Kaifeng $792
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,083 in Kaifeng versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Kaifeng $1,083
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Kaifeng costs roughly 59% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kaifeng 63% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.85 ¥12.30

$4.53 ¥30.07

-59.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.44 ¥89.3

$30.16 ¥200

-55.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.12 ¥27.40

$5.11 ¥33.99

-19.37%

Cappuccino

$2.19 ¥14.54

$3.41 ¥22.67

-35.78%

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

$0.39 ¥2.56

$0.58 ¥3.85

-32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ¥1.14

$0.35 ¥2.36

-51.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ¥5.91

$1.23 ¥8.21

-27.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.16

$2.31 ¥15.35

-33.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥10.40

$1.88 ¥12.50

-16.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.94 ¥12.86

-20.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.39

$0.98 ¥6.51

-17.35%

Eggs

$0.96 ¥6.39

$1.70 ¥11.29

-43.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 ¥44.30

$17.02 ¥113

-60.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.25

$3.22 ¥21.38

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 ¥67.8

$12.93 ¥85.9

-21.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.78

$2.15 ¥14.29

-59.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.42

$1.73 ¥11.46

-43.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$2.03 ¥13.49

-70.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.25

$1.73 ¥11.52

-63.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.83 ¥5.50

-30.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.92 ¥6.12

-27.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.21 ¥1.39

$0.67 ¥4.47

-68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.59 ¥3.92

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ¥19.56

$3.77 ¥25.06

-22.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ¥98.9

$11.03 ¥73.3

34.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.70

$0.90 ¥5.99

12.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥13.36

$1.60 ¥10.66

25.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.87

$0.57 ¥3.80

-77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.75

$2.14 ¥14.23

-45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 ¥0.99

$0.47 ¥3.10

-68.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥24.50

$8.74 ¥58.1

-57.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.34 ¥8.92

-5.22%

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

$19.2K ¥127.3K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

-0.46%

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

$14.9K ¥99.0K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

-18.53%

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

$45.22 ¥300

$58.9 ¥391

-23.23%

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

$4.76 ¥31.62

$7.90 ¥52.5

-39.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.28 ¥35.07

$10.60 ¥70.4

-50.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.67 ¥197

$64.8 ¥431

-54.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.55 ¥70.1

$17.47 ¥116

-39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.82 ¥25.36

$9.06 ¥60.2

-57.84%

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

$388 ¥2,581

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-75.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥207.3K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

10.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.81 ¥291

$54.6 ¥363

-19.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.96 ¥226

$37.21 ¥247

-8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.9 ¥478

$74.6 ¥495

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.32 ¥301

$106 ¥706

-57.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 ¥801

$1,026 ¥6,816

-88.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.7 ¥589

$559 ¥3,716

-84.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 ¥1,494

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-91.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,197

$1,191 ¥7,915

-84.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 ¥3,852

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-66.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

3.36

-7.74%

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

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaifeng

$165 33.1%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 43.1% $71

Accommodation & Living

Kaifeng

$89 17.7%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 531% $471

Clothing & Footwear

Kaifeng

$88 17.6%

Shanghai

$123 10% 39.8% $35

Eating Out

Kaifeng

$63 12.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 69.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaifeng

$55 11.1%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 40% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kaifeng

$37 7.5%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 122% $46

Getting Around

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5%

Shanghai

$36 3% 1391% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $121 in Kaifeng and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Kaifeng vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $237 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Kaifeng

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,676,159

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

Kaifeng Shanghai 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaifeng
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

Kaifeng vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Kaifeng. 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: $121 in Kaifeng versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $500 per month in Kaifeng versus $1,222 in Shanghai – Kaifeng is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kaifeng is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Kaifeng wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.