Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oradea and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Oradea: $1,023 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
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Oradea Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,023

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,023 per month in Oradea vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Oradea $1,023
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,523 per month in Oradea vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Oradea $1,523
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $2,022 per month in Oradea vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Oradea $2,022
Shanghai $2,720

Oradea is about 16% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oradea and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Oradea 25% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 RON 39.50

$4.53 ¥30.07

82.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.28 RON 198

$30.16 ¥200

36.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 RON 35.48

$5.11 ¥33.99

45.21%

Cappuccino

$2.58 RON 12.34

$3.41 ¥22.67

-24.34%

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

$1.90 RON 9.07

$0.58 ¥3.85

227.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$0.35 ¥2.36

408.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.26

$1.23 ¥8.21

73.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 RON 15.25

$2.31 ¥15.35

38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 RON 7.05

$1.88 ¥12.50

-21.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 RON 5.04

$1.94 ¥12.86

-45.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 RON 5.54

$0.98 ¥6.51

18.37%

Eggs

$2.78 RON 13.28

$1.70 ¥11.29

63.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 RON 38.91

$17.02 ¥113

-52.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 RON 29.33

$3.22 ¥21.38

90.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 RON 42.16

$12.93 ¥85.9

-31.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 RON 5.12

$2.15 ¥14.29

-50.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.18

$1.73 ¥11.46

-13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.90

$2.03 ¥13.49

-29.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.52

$1.73 ¥11.52

-21.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.83

$0.83 ¥5.50

-3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.15

$0.92 ¥6.12

-5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.25

$0.67 ¥4.47

1.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.88

$0.59 ¥3.92

37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 RON 26.92

$3.77 ¥25.06

49.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 RON 28.23

$11.03 ¥73.3

-46.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$0.90 ¥5.99

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.42

$1.60 ¥10.66

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.92

$0.57 ¥3.80

43.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.55 RON 108

$29.62 ¥197

-23.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 RON 3.55

$2.14 ¥14.23

-65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.47 ¥3.10

48.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 RON 34.77

$8.74 ¥58.1

-16.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.50

$1.34 ¥8.92

32.84%

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

$28.0K RON 134.2K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

45.67%

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

$24.8K RON 118.6K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

35.55%

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

$137 RON 655

$58.9 ¥391

132.31%

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

$6.29 RON 30.10

$7.90 ¥52.5

-20.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 RON 37.32

$10.60 ¥70.4

-26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 RON 225

$64.8 ¥431

-27.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 RON 78.5

$17.47 ¥116

-6.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 RON 36.06

$9.06 ¥60.2

-16.78%

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

$385 RON 1,841

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-75.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,983 RON 43.0K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-68.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 RON 290

$54.6 ¥363

11.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.01 RON 177

$37.21 ¥247

-0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.6 RON 266

$74.6 ¥495

-25.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.9 RON 301

$106 ¥706

-40.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 RON 2,049

$1,026 ¥6,816

-58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 RON 1,654

$559 ¥3,716

-38.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 RON 3,077

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-75.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 RON 2,411

$1,191 ¥7,915

-57.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,267 RON 10.8K

$13.4K ¥88.9K

-83.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,806 RON 8,641

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-72.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 RON 4,289

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-47.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

3.36

111.31%

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

Last update for Oradea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oradea

$346 33.8%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 61.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Oradea

$186 18.2%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 27% $50

Eating Out

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 29.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oradea

$151 14.8%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 48.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Oradea

$97 9.5%

Shanghai

$123 10% 26.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Oradea

$62 6.1%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 33.4% $21

Getting Around

Oradea

$30 2.9%

Shanghai

$36 3% 21.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Oradea versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Shanghai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Oradea versus $30 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Oradea vs $237 in Shanghai – so Oradea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Oradea

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

6 h ahead of Oradea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,367

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oradea Shanghai 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Oradea
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

Oradea vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,023 in Oradea, $1,222 in Shanghai – Oradea comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,535 per month in Oradea and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oradea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Shanghai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Oradea and $30 in Shanghai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,023 in Oradea and $1,222 in Shanghai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Oradea – 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 Oradea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.