Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $730 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Nanning versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Nanning $730
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,171 in Nanning versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Nanning $1,171
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Nanning versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Nanning $1,612
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Nanning costs roughly 41% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanning 46% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.41

$4.56 ¥30.47

-33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.18 ¥135

$30.21 ¥202

-33.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 ¥36.78

$5.25 ¥35.13

4.76%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥15.82

$3.28 ¥21.94

-27.74%

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

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.57 ¥3.84

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.36 ¥2.39

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.86

$1.23 ¥8.23

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$2.27 ¥15.18

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$1.84 ¥12.30

18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ¥15.39

$1.96 ¥13.08

17.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$1.03 ¥6.87

9.71%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥13.36

$1.67 ¥11.16

19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 ¥69.1

$16.96 ¥113

-39.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.51

$3.19 ¥21.33

24.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥118

$12.90 ¥86.3

36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$2.24 ¥15.00

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.66 ¥11.13

-23.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$2.02 ¥13.54

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.66 ¥11.08

1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.77 ¥5.17

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$0.93 ¥6.21

27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.63 ¥4.19

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.02

$0.60 ¥3.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 ¥27.37

$3.80 ¥25.44

7.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$10.87 ¥72.7

35.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$0.82 ¥5.51

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.61 ¥10.76

-3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.61 ¥4.11

-11.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 ¥106

$29.40 ¥197

-46.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ¥8.86

$2.11 ¥14.11

-37.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.43 ¥2.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 ¥50.1

$9.06 ¥60.6

-17.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.33 ¥8.89

-0.75%

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

$23.0K ¥153.6K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

20.75%

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

$13.2K ¥88.4K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-29.35%

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

$33.88 ¥227

$57.8 ¥387

-41.39%

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

$14.13 ¥94.5

$8.09 ¥54.1

74.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.83 ¥72.4

$10.48 ¥70.0

3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ¥494

$65.7 ¥439

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.66 ¥51.2

$17.82 ¥119

-57.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ¥45.24

$8.95 ¥59.9

-24.36%

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

$303 ¥2,024

$1,414 ¥9,451

-78.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,424 ¥29.6K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-84.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.13 ¥135

$54.0 ¥361

-62.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.01 ¥201

$37.09 ¥248

-19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 ¥428

$74.3 ¥496

-13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ¥498

$106 ¥706

-29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,681

$1,055 ¥7,056

-76.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 ¥1,016

$585 ¥3,910

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 ¥2,572

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-84.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,993

$1,232 ¥8,240

-75.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,545 ¥23.7K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-74.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 ¥10.3K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-75.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$682 ¥4,562

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-60.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

3.36

8.04%

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

Last update for Nanning: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanning

$244 33.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 3.8% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$152 20.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 285% $433

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$87 12%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 4.3% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$85 11.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 43.7% $37

Eating Out

Nanning

$82 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 29.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 29.8% $18

Getting Around

Nanning

$21 2.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 68.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 151% 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: $20.00 in Nanning vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

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

On the map

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Between locations

Nanning Shanghai 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
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

Nanning vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanning and Shanghai differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($730 vs $1,244 including rent). Nanning is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 151% 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: $251 in Nanning versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanning runs roughly 86% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $303 in Nanning versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $730 in Nanning versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning 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 Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.