Cost of Living Comparison Between Karamay and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Karamay and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Karamay is 29% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 40.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Karamay is 11.2% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 41.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 ¥19.67
$4.73 ¥33.92
-42.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.49 ¥147
$36.17 ¥259
-43.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.93 ¥35.38
$5.6 ¥40.18
-11.96%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ¥22.13
$3.56 ¥25.53
-13.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ¥3.08
$0.54 ¥3.9
-20.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥2.11
$0.36 ¥2.59
-19.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.94 ¥6.74
$1.43 ¥10.25
-34.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥14.66
$2.76 ¥19.81
-26.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 ¥13.14
$2.18 ¥15.66
-16.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 ¥11
$1.81 ¥13
-15.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 ¥6.89
$1.1 ¥7.9
-12.73%
Eggs
$1.62 ¥11.63
$1.69 ¥12.1
-4.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.04 ¥93.5
$15.79 ¥113
-17.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.14 ¥22.49
$3.17 ¥22.76
-0.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.06 ¥72.2
$10.88 ¥78.1
-7.54%
Apples (1kg)
$1.73 ¥12.4
$2.26 ¥16.24
-23.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 ¥8.7
$1.67 ¥11.98
-27.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 ¥9.83
$1.78 ¥12.78
-23.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.1 ¥7.88
$1.52 ¥10.94
-27.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.68 ¥4.91
$0.85 ¥6.09
-20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.5
$1.17 ¥8.37
-22.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥4.24
$0.68 ¥4.84
-13.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ¥3.92
$0.6 ¥4.29
-8.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.16 ¥22.64
$2.87 ¥20.56
10.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.69 ¥76.7
$11.16 ¥80
-4.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ¥5.44
$0.8 ¥5.73
-5.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ¥11.9
$1.56 ¥11.22
6.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.4 ¥2.89
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.51 ¥118
$35.15 ¥252
-53.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥10.21
$2.29 ¥16.45
-37.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.52
$0.37 ¥2.69
-5.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.58 ¥47.2
$8.14 ¥58.4
-19.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.36
$1.09 ¥7.81
7.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K ¥140.5K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
0.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17K ¥122.1K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
-6.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.98 ¥330
$51.6 ¥370
-10.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.73 ¥69.8
$8.68 ¥62.2
12.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.33 ¥81.3
$13.5 ¥96.8
-16.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.97 ¥294
$46.42 ¥333
-11.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.21 ¥102
$20.44 ¥147
-30.48%
Cinema Ticket
$6.15 ¥44.09
$8.58 ¥61.5
-28.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$341 ¥2,449
$1,307 ¥9,378
-73.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K ¥121.3K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-46.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.22 ¥310
$58.8 ¥422
-26.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30 ¥215
$36.99 ¥265
-18.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.4 ¥512
$77.7 ¥558
-8.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.2 ¥525
$98.5 ¥706
-25.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥2,004
$952 ¥6,827
-70.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$186 ¥1,331
$574 ¥4,115
-67.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$594 ¥4,258
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-76.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$358 ¥2,566
$1,201 ¥8,614
-70.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,808 ¥20.1K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-80.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,027 ¥14.5K
$7,106 ¥51K
-71.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karamay
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$552 ¥3,962
$1,534 ¥11K
-63.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.87
3.58
8.10%

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

Last update for Karamay: October 29, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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