Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Qingdao, Shandong is 13% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 37.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Qingdao, Shandong is 13.8% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 34.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 ¥24.46

$4.73 ¥33.92

-27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.17 ¥130

$36.17 ¥259

-49.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.52 ¥32.4

$5.6 ¥40.18

-19.29%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥24.52

$3.56 ¥25.53

-3.93%

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

$0.58 ¥4.14

$0.54 ¥3.9

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.23

$0.36 ¥2.59

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥6.24

$1.43 ¥10.25

-39.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥14.54

$2.76 ¥19.81

-26.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ¥14

$2.18 ¥15.66

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.9

$1.81 ¥13

-16.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.59

$1.1 ¥7.9

-16.36%

Eggs

$1.89 ¥13.55

$1.69 ¥12.1

11.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.68 ¥105

$15.79 ¥113

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 ¥30.37

$3.17 ¥22.76

33.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 ¥73

$10.88 ¥78.1

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.8

$2.26 ¥16.24

-39.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥8.26

$1.67 ¥11.98

-31.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ¥13.71

$1.78 ¥12.78

7.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥7.27

$1.52 ¥10.94

-33.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.36

$0.85 ¥6.09

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.79

$1.17 ¥8.37

-6.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ¥6.72

$0.68 ¥4.84

38.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ¥3.37

$0.6 ¥4.29

-21.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ¥28.54

$2.87 ¥20.56

38.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥99.3

$11.16 ¥80

24.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥7.44

$0.8 ¥5.73

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥11.32

$1.56 ¥11.22

1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.3 ¥2.17

$0.4 ¥2.89

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 ¥119

$35.15 ¥252

-52.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥10.24

$2.29 ¥16.45

-37.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.27

$0.37 ¥2.69

-13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.5 ¥53.8

$8.14 ¥58.4

-7.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥7.98

$1.09 ¥7.81

1.83%

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

$19.9K ¥143K

$19.5K ¥140.1K

2.07%

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

$13.3K ¥95.2K

$18.2K ¥130.5K

-27.03%

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

$52.4 ¥376

$51.6 ¥370

1.67%

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

$10.92 ¥78.4

$8.68 ¥62.2

25.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.39 ¥74.5

$13.5 ¥96.8

-23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.42 ¥190

$46.42 ¥333

-43.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 ¥149

$20.44 ¥147

1.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 ¥49.31

$8.58 ¥61.5

-19.81%

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

$336 ¥2,412

$1,307 ¥9,378

-74.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K ¥176.6K

$31.4K ¥225.4K

-21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 ¥559

$58.8 ¥422

32.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 ¥277

$36.99 ¥265

4.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 ¥572

$77.7 ¥558

2.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥735

$98.5 ¥706

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,456

$952 ¥6,827

-64.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,365

$574 ¥4,115

-66.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥5,233

$2,518 ¥18.1K

-71.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 ¥2,976

$1,201 ¥8,614

-65.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,925 ¥28.2K

$14.4K ¥103.2K

-72.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,394 ¥17.2K

$7,106 ¥51K

-66.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$941 ¥6,750

$1,534 ¥11K

-38.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.58

6.42%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 29, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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