Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanyang and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyang: $714 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanyang
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Nanyang Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nanyang

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Nanyang vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nanyang $714
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,131 per month in Nanyang vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nanyang $1,131
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,547 per month in Nanyang vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nanyang $1,547
Shanghai $2,755

Nanyang is about 43% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nanyang and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Nanyang 47% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.81 ¥18.76

$4.56 ¥30.47

-38.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.42 ¥143

$30.21 ¥202

-29.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥33.06

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.90%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥20.27

$3.28 ¥21.94

-7.62%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.57 ¥3.84

-24.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.36 ¥2.39

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.23 ¥8.23

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.67

$2.27 ¥15.18

-10.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.31

$1.84 ¥12.30

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.96 ¥13.08

-20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.42

$1.03 ¥6.87

-6.80%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.22

$1.67 ¥11.16

-8.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 ¥84.4

$16.96 ¥113

-25.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥20.76

$3.19 ¥21.33

-2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 ¥69.4

$12.90 ¥86.3

-19.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.43

$2.24 ¥15.00

-16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$1.66 ¥11.13

-27.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$2.02 ¥13.54

-24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.71

$1.66 ¥11.08

-30.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.00

$0.77 ¥5.17

-2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$0.93 ¥6.21

-5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.63 ¥4.19

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.60 ¥3.99

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ¥20.82

$3.80 ¥25.44

-18.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 ¥70.5

$10.87 ¥72.7

-3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$0.82 ¥5.51

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$1.61 ¥10.76

-0.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.61 ¥4.11

-55.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.87 ¥113

$29.40 ¥197

-42.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$2.11 ¥14.11

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.43 ¥2.87

-23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 ¥43.73

$9.06 ¥60.6

-27.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.79

$1.33 ¥8.89

-12.78%

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

$19.2K ¥128.3K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

0.84%

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

$17.3K ¥115.8K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-7.40%

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

$44.91 ¥300

$57.8 ¥387

-22.31%

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

$9.66 ¥64.6

$8.09 ¥54.1

19.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$10.48 ¥70.0

13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 ¥285

$65.7 ¥439

-35.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ¥91.5

$17.82 ¥119

-23.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ¥40.10

$8.95 ¥59.9

-32.96%

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

$328 ¥2,194

$1,414 ¥9,451

-76.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥113.3K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-39.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.25 ¥289

$54.0 ¥361

-19.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.62 ¥205

$37.09 ¥248

-17.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥473

$74.3 ¥496

-4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ¥484

$106 ¥706

-31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$1,055 ¥7,056

-73.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,283

$585 ¥3,910

-67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ¥3,891

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-76.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ¥2,398

$1,232 ¥8,240

-70.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,009 ¥20.1K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-78.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,052 ¥13.7K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-67.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.36

15.77%

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

Last update for Nanyang: 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

Nanyang

$197 27.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.9% $37

Accommodation & Living

Nanyang

$192 26.9%

Shanghai

$585 47% 205% $393

Clothing & Footwear

Nanyang

$98 13.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 24.9% $24

Eating Out

Nanyang

$85 11.9%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 24.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanyang

$66 9.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 14.9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Nanyang

$55 7.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 53.3% $29

Getting Around

Nanyang

$21 2.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 72.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Nanyang versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Nanyang versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $235 – making Nanyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanyang

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

Same time as Nanyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,085,680

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

Nanyang Shanghai 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanyang
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

Nanyang vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $714 in Nanyang, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Nanyang and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $714 in Nanyang and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 74%.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Nanyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyang, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Nanyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanyang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nanyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.