Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingdingshan and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingdingshan: $703 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Pingdingshan
Learn more

Pingdingshan Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Pingdingshan

🇨🇳 China

$703

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $703 per month in Pingdingshan vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pingdingshan $703
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Pingdingshan vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pingdingshan $1,104
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,506 per month in Pingdingshan vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Pingdingshan $1,506
Shanghai $2,755

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

Both Pingdingshan and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Pingdingshan 48% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.22 ¥14.86

$4.56 ¥30.47

-51.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.71 ¥112

$30.21 ¥202

-44.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥30.12

$5.25 ¥35.13

-14.29%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ¥15.96

$3.28 ¥21.94

-27.13%

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

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.57 ¥3.84

-1.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.36 ¥2.39

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.23 ¥8.23

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.72

$2.27 ¥15.18

-29.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$1.84 ¥12.30

-8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.96 ¥13.08

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.03 ¥6.87

-9.71%

Eggs

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.67 ¥11.16

-41.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 ¥54.5

$16.96 ¥113

-51.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.35

$3.19 ¥21.33

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ¥69.2

$12.90 ¥86.3

-19.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.51

$2.24 ¥15.00

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.89

$1.66 ¥11.13

-37.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.37

$2.02 ¥13.54

-45.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.66 ¥11.08

-29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 ¥4.01

$0.77 ¥5.17

-22.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.78

$0.93 ¥6.21

-22.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.63 ¥4.19

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$0.60 ¥3.99

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ¥22.59

$3.80 ¥25.44

-11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$10.87 ¥72.7

35.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$0.82 ¥5.51

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.06

$1.61 ¥10.76

30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.61 ¥4.11

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.69 ¥118

$29.40 ¥197

-39.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ¥4.81

$2.11 ¥14.11

-65.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.43 ¥2.87

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥24.61

$9.06 ¥60.6

-59.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥7.22

$1.33 ¥8.89

-18.80%

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

$12.1K ¥80.6K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-36.60%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-8.58%

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

$69.1 ¥462

$57.8 ¥387

19.48%

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

$7.22 ¥48.30

$8.09 ¥54.1

-10.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$10.48 ¥70.0

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.31 ¥283

$65.7 ¥439

-35.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.71 ¥98.3

$17.82 ¥119

-17.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ¥39.70

$8.95 ¥59.9

-33.63%

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

$382 ¥2,556

$1,414 ¥9,451

-72.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ¥201.8K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

8.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.96 ¥287

$54.0 ¥361

-20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 ¥227

$37.09 ¥248

-8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 ¥498

$74.3 ¥496

0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ¥466

$106 ¥706

-33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 ¥1,981

$1,055 ¥7,056

-71.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,206

$585 ¥3,910

-69.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 ¥4,229

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-74.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ¥2,528

$1,232 ¥8,240

-69.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,444 ¥23.0K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-75.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 ¥13.2K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-68.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.36

-2.08%

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

Last update for Pingdingshan: 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

Pingdingshan

$190 27%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 23.5% $45

Accommodation & Living

Pingdingshan

$180 25.7%

Shanghai

$585 47% 224% $404

Clothing & Footwear

Pingdingshan

$100 14.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 22.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingdingshan

$87 12.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 12% $10

Eating Out

Pingdingshan

$71 10.1%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 49.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Pingdingshan

$54 7.7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 54.3% $29

Getting Around

Pingdingshan

$21 3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 72% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $296 in Pingdingshan 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 $17.00 in Pingdingshan versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $235 – making Pingdingshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Pingdingshan

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

Same time as Pingdingshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000,000

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pingdingshan Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pingdingshan
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

Pingdingshan vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $703 in Pingdingshan, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,054 per month in Pingdingshan 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 Pingdingshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $382 per month in Pingdingshan and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Shanghai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pingdingshan, where all-in costs run around $703, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Pingdingshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pingdingshan – 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 Pingdingshan. 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.