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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Lanzhou is 22% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 44.6% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Lanzhou is 30.1% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 49.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.11 ยฅ14.70
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
-55.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.79 ยฅ145
$35.92 ยฅ251
-42.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.96 ยฅ41.62
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
9.36%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ยฅ21.55
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
-9.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ยฅ3.06
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
-24.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ยฅ1.86
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
-20.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.57 ยฅ3.99
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
-59.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ยฅ11.82
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
-39.64%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ยฅ10.72
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
-26.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 ยฅ11.04
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
-14.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ยฅ7.05
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
-8.18%
Eggs
$1.82 ยฅ12.73
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
13.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.77 ยฅ89.1
$15.28 ยฅ107
-16.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.18 ยฅ22.18
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
3.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.05 ยฅ63.2
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
-16.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 ยฅ11.96
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
-26.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ยฅ10.09
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
-18.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ยฅ8.94
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
-28.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.97 ยฅ6.76
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
-34.01%
Potato (1kg)
$0.52 ยฅ3.63
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
-35.80%
Onion (1kg)
$0.87 ยฅ6.11
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
-25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.46 ยฅ3.19
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
-26.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ยฅ3.87
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
-8.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.25 ยฅ22.68
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
17.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 ยฅ74.2
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
-7.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 ยฅ5.60
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
-4.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ยฅ11.16
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
-0.62%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ยฅ2.03
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.89 ยฅ118
$34.13 ยฅ238
-50.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ยฅ9.59
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
-40.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.19 ยฅ1.30
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.56 ยฅ17.89
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
-69.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ยฅ9.16
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
13.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K ยฅ135.7K
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
-1.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ยฅ118.9K
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
-6.76%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.59 ยฅ304
$52.1 ยฅ363
-16.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.01 ยฅ69.9
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
13.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.69 ยฅ81.6
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
-15.72%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.52 ยฅ290
$46.42 ยฅ324
-10.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.95 ยฅ97.3
$19.78 ยฅ138
-29.47%
Cinema Ticket
$6.36 ยฅ44.40
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
-23.19%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$341 ยฅ2,379
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
-73.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.7K ยฅ193.0K
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
-10.49%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.68 ยฅ305
$59.8 ยฅ417
-26.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.72 ยฅ214
$38.03 ยฅ265
-19.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.5 ยฅ506
$77.5 ยฅ541
-6.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.47 ยฅ296
$99.3 ยฅ693
-57.24%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$276 ยฅ1,927
$944 ยฅ6,591
-70.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$158 ยฅ1,105
$570 ยฅ3,981
-72.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$594 ยฅ4,148
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
-75.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$273 ยฅ1,906
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
-77.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,370 ยฅ23.5K
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
-76.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,034 ยฅ14.2K
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
-71.26%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Lanzhou
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$613 ยฅ4,279
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
-62.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.87
3.58
8.10%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lanzhou: January 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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