Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luoyang and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $660 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Luoyang
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Luoyang Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$660

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Luoyang versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Luoyang $660
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,066 in Luoyang versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Luoyang $1,066
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,471 in Luoyang versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Luoyang $1,471
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Luoyang costs roughly 47% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Luoyang 51% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.52

$4.56 ¥30.47

-19.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.73 ¥199

$30.21 ¥202

-1.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 ¥37.58

$5.25 ¥35.13

7.05%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ¥23.74

$3.28 ¥21.94

8.23%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.57 ¥3.84

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.36 ¥2.39

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.23 ¥8.23

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ¥19.50

$2.27 ¥15.18

28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.86

$1.84 ¥12.30

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ¥15.39

$1.96 ¥13.08

17.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$1.03 ¥6.87

3.88%

Eggs

$1.42 ¥9.49

$1.67 ¥11.16

-14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 ¥90.9

$16.96 ¥113

-19.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.99

$3.19 ¥21.33

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ¥60.9

$12.90 ¥86.3

-29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.24 ¥15.00

-58.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.98

$1.66 ¥11.13

-19.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$2.02 ¥13.54

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.66 ¥11.08

-19.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.05

$0.77 ¥5.17

-2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$0.93 ¥6.21

-4.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.63 ¥4.19

-30.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.33

$0.60 ¥3.99

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$3.80 ¥25.44

-55.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.33 ¥89.1

$10.87 ¥72.7

22.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.82 ¥5.51

-42.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ¥15.06

$1.61 ¥10.76

39.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.61 ¥4.11

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.21 ¥122

$29.40 ¥197

-38.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.92

$2.11 ¥14.11

-44.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.43 ¥2.87

-18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.26 ¥48.57

$9.06 ¥60.6

-19.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$1.33 ¥8.89

-4.51%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

3.13%

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

$17.2K ¥115.3K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-7.86%

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

$43.59 ¥291

$57.8 ¥387

-24.60%

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

$6.03 ¥40.30

$8.09 ¥54.1

-25.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ¥68.8

$10.48 ¥70.0

-1.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ¥148

$65.7 ¥439

-66.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.12 ¥81.0

$17.82 ¥119

-31.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 ¥37.35

$8.95 ¥59.9

-37.54%

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

$196 ¥1,310

$1,414 ¥9,451

-86.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K ¥124.7K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-33.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥336

$54.0 ¥361

-7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.97 ¥200

$37.09 ¥248

-19.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥431

$74.3 ¥496

-13.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.3 ¥531

$106 ¥706

-24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$188 ¥1,256

$1,055 ¥7,056

-82.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥860

$585 ¥3,910

-78.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ¥2,930

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-82.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 ¥1,499

$1,232 ¥8,240

-81.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,162 ¥14.5K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-84.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,407 ¥9,408

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-77.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 ¥4,202

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-63.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

3.36

32.44%

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

Last update for Luoyang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Luoyang

$211 32%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 11.3% $24

Accommodation & Living

Luoyang

$129 19.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 355% $456

Eating Out

Luoyang

$104 15.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 2.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Luoyang

$101 15.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 21% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luoyang

$60 9.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 27.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Luoyang

$33 5.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 151% $50

Getting Around

Luoyang

$22 3.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 61.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $188 in Luoyang and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 172% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Luoyang vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $235 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

Same time as Luoyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,926,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Luoyang Shanghai 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Luoyang
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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

Luoyang vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Shanghai. 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: $188 in Luoyang versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $196 in Luoyang versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $660 in Luoyang versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.