Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Lanzhou is 15.2% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 47.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lanzhou is 27% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 47.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 ¥15.16

$4.73 ¥33.92

-55.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.98 ¥150

$36.17 ¥259

-42.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 ¥44.57

$5.6 ¥40.18

10.89%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥21.43

$3.56 ¥25.53

-16.01%

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

$0.4 ¥2.86

$0.54 ¥3.9

-25.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.91

$0.36 ¥2.59

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.58 ¥4.18

$1.43 ¥10.25

-59.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.85

$2.76 ¥19.81

-40.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.6 ¥11.46

$2.18 ¥15.66

-26.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.93

$1.81 ¥13

-16.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.8

$1.1 ¥7.9

-13.64%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥13.32

$1.69 ¥12.1

10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 ¥93.1

$15.79 ¥113

-17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 ¥21.68

$3.17 ¥22.76

-4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 ¥64

$10.88 ¥78.1

-18.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ¥12.44

$2.26 ¥16.24

-23.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.58

$1.67 ¥11.98

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥9.18

$1.78 ¥12.78

-28.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.55

$1.52 ¥10.94

-40.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ¥3.67

$0.85 ¥6.09

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥6.1

$1.17 ¥8.37

-27.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 ¥3.47

$0.68 ¥4.84

-29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥4.03

$0.6 ¥4.29

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ¥22.33

$2.87 ¥20.56

8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ¥57.3

$11.16 ¥80

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥5.28

$0.8 ¥5.73

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥11.75

$1.56 ¥11.22

5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥2.11

$0.4 ¥2.89

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.53 ¥119

$35.15 ¥252

-52.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.71

$2.29 ¥16.45

-41.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ¥1.22

$0.37 ¥2.69

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 ¥18.35

$8.14 ¥58.4

-68.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥9.53

$1.09 ¥7.81

22.02%

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

$19.1K ¥137K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

-2.23%

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

$16.5K ¥118.4K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

-9.29%

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

$44.71 ¥321

$51.6 ¥370

-13.27%

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

$9.78 ¥70.1

$8.68 ¥62.2

12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.78 ¥84.5

$13.5 ¥96.8

-12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.67 ¥299

$46.42 ¥333

-10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 ¥102

$20.44 ¥147

-30.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 ¥44.63

$8.58 ¥61.5

-27.51%

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

$334 ¥2,395

$1,307 ¥9,378

-74.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K ¥199.4K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-11.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.58 ¥305

$58.8 ¥422

-27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.64 ¥220

$36.99 ¥265

-17.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥520

$77.7 ¥558

-6.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.05 ¥294

$98.5 ¥706

-58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 ¥2,014

$952 ¥6,827

-70.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ¥1,118

$574 ¥4,115

-72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ¥4,210

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-76.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,970

$1,201 ¥8,614

-77.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,097 ¥22.2K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-78.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 ¥14.2K

$7,106 ¥51K

-72.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$603 ¥4,323

$1,534 ¥11K

-60.71%

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 Lanzhou: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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