Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Northern Mariana Islands and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,794 in the Northern Mariana Islands, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

$1,794

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Northern Mariana Islands is 75.1% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Northern Mariana Islands is 29.7% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 $14.71

$4.55 ¥30.45

223.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.48 $42.48

$29.52 ¥198

43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 $14.65

$5.10 ¥34.13

187.25%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$3.42 ¥22.92

58.48%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$0.61 ¥4.12

222.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.36 ¥2.41

275.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$1.21 ¥8.08

407.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.29 ¥15.33

220.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.86 ¥12.48

37.10%

White Bread (500g)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.01 ¥13.47

185.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$44.86 $44.86

$1.02 ¥6.84

4298.04%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$1.72 ¥11.48

254.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$3.35 ¥22.43

300.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$12.80 ¥85.7

-47.19%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$2.17 ¥14.54

207.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

Oranges (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$1.94 ¥12.99

232.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.77 ¥5.18

172.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.93 ¥6.22

148.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.04 $5.04

$0.62 ¥4.17

712.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.94 ¥73.2

38.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.06 ¥13.79

145.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.27 ¥8.53

14.17%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

92.15%

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

$22.2K $22.2K

$18.6K ¥124.4K

19.75%

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

$376 $376

$57.2 ¥383

556.40%

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

$60.6 $60.6

$8.06 ¥53.9

652.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.8 $89.8

$10.52 ¥70.4

753.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$64.6 ¥433

-6.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.89 $39.89

$104 ¥696

-61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$1,039 ¥6,956

-23.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 $372

$589 ¥3,940

-36.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 $792

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-68.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$1,237 ¥8,282

-35.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$992 $992

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-42.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for the Northern Mariana Islands: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Groceries & Markets

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$237 19%

Clothing & Footwear

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Eating Out

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Getting Around

Northern Mariana Islands

–

Shanghai

$37 3%

Good to know

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

2 h behind the Northern Mariana Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,329

24,870,895

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Northern Mariana Islands Shanghai 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Northern Mariana Islands
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

Northern Mariana Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Northern Mariana Islands and Shanghai

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Northern Mariana Islands

Shanghai

Northern Mariana Islands

Shanghai

Northern Mariana Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

🇮🇹 Italy

🇪🇸 Spain

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇪🇪 Estonia

🇸🇮 Slovenia

🇶🇦 Qatar

🇨🇷 Costa Rica