Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,157 per month in Port Vila vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Vila $3,157
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $5,424 per month in Port Vila vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Vila $5,424
Shanghai $2,789

Port Vila costs about 153% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Port Vila sits 136% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.64 VUV 1,480

$4.55 ¥30.40

177.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,540

$29.52 ¥197

89.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 VUV 1,673

$5.10 ¥34.08

180.20%

Cappuccino

$4.06 VUV 475

$3.42 ¥22.88

18.71%

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

$2.32 VUV 271

$0.61 ¥4.11

280.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 273

$0.36 ¥2.40

547.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 VUV 577

$1.21 ¥8.07

307.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 VUV 847

$2.29 ¥15.31

216.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 VUV 335

$1.86 ¥12.46

53.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 VUV 223

$2.01 ¥13.45

-5.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 VUV 448

$1.02 ¥6.83

275.49%

Eggs

$6.06 VUV 710

$1.72 ¥11.46

252.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 VUV 2,063

$17.19 ¥115

2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.51 VUV 1,933

$3.35 ¥22.39

392.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 VUV 1,611

$12.80 ¥85.5

7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 VUV 817

$2.17 ¥14.51

221.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 VUV 249

$1.74 ¥11.65

21.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 VUV 447

$1.94 ¥12.96

96.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.36 VUV 1,096

$1.68 ¥11.23

457.14%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,049

$0.77 ¥5.17

1063.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 VUV 410

$0.93 ¥6.21

276.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 304

$0.62 ¥4.16

319.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 135

$0.58 ¥3.88

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 VUV 1,073

$3.83 ¥25.60

139.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 VUV 1,479

$10.94 ¥73.1

15.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 VUV 292

$0.84 ¥5.59

197.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 VUV 319

$1.60 ¥10.71

70.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 VUV 145

$0.59 ¥3.92

110.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 VUV 8,054

$30.27 ¥202

127.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 VUV 291

$2.06 ¥13.77

20.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 VUV 102

$0.47 ¥3.13

85.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 VUV 611

$8.80 ¥58.8

-40.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 VUV 213

$1.27 ¥8.51

43.31%

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

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

$19.6K ¥131.0K

20.18%

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

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

$18.6K ¥124.2K

104.83%

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

$640 VUV 74.9K

$57.2 ¥382

1017.61%

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

$22.97 VUV 2,689

$8.06 ¥53.8

184.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$359 VUV 42.0K

$10.52 ¥70.3

3312.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,931

$64.6 ¥432

4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 VUV 2,011

$17.63 ¥118

-2.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

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

$625 VUV 73.2K

$1,437 ¥9,605

-56.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-75.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 VUV 4,852

$54.7 ¥365

-24.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.4 VUV 7,894

$36.43 ¥243

85.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

$75.4 ¥504

13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.0K

$104 ¥695

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

$1,039 ¥6,945

52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

$589 ¥3,933

89.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

36.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

$1,237 ¥8,268

51.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

-54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-64.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 VUV 78.1K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-61.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

3.36

83.93%

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

Last update for Port Vila: 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

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 47.3% $529

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 92.6% $946

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$475 15.1%

Shanghai

$237 19% 50.1% $238

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 57.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 8.9% $12

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Shanghai

$37 3% 54.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 21.5% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Port Vila versus $1,039 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 157% higher in Shanghai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Port Vila versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

3 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Vila Shanghai 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

Port Vila vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Vila costs about 153% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,735 per month in Port Vila and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, 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 $3,157 in Port Vila and $1,250 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 153%.

Public transport costs about 127% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Port Vila at $3,157. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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