Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Qinhuangdao $714
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Qinhuangdao $1,135
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Qinhuangdao $1,556
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Qinhuangdao costs roughly 43% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qinhuangdao 47% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.36

$4.45 ¥29.64

-37.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥145

$30.29 ¥202

-28.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.50

$5.09 ¥33.86

-4.13%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.24

$3.43 ¥22.85

-11.37%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.62 ¥4.14

-24.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.39 ¥2.57

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.23 ¥8.22

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.18

$2.21 ¥14.74

-3.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$1.95 ¥12.97

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.00 ¥6.64

-11.00%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.20

$1.71 ¥11.38

-10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 ¥86.9

$17.47 ¥116

-25.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.71

$3.24 ¥21.57

-4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ¥68.8

$12.99 ¥86.5

-20.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.46

$2.24 ¥14.92

-16.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.68 ¥11.20

-25.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$1.95 ¥12.97

-24.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.63

$1.73 ¥11.55

-33.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$0.76 ¥5.08

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$0.92 ¥6.12

3.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.66 ¥4.39

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.60 ¥3.98

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.32

$3.69 ¥24.54

-17.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.2

$10.92 ¥72.7

-2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$0.87 ¥5.82

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$1.63 ¥10.82

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.62 ¥4.11

-56.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$30.38 ¥202

-44.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$2.06 ¥13.73

-31.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.46 ¥3.07

-28.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 ¥44.04

$8.84 ¥58.9

-25.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.33 ¥8.82

-14.29%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

-0.25%

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

$17.1K ¥113.8K

$18.2K ¥121.4K

-6.28%

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

$44.64 ¥297

$57.1 ¥380

-21.84%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$8.07 ¥53.7

22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 ¥79.2

$10.70 ¥71.2

11.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥281

$64.6 ¥430

-34.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥93.8

$17.29 ¥115

-18.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.55

$9.05 ¥60.2

-36.02%

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

$337 ¥2,244

$1,441 ¥9,595

-76.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-39.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 ¥294

$53.5 ¥356

-17.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 ¥202

$37.05 ¥247

-18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥478

$77.0 ¥512

-6.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥470

$104 ¥691

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,835

$1,023 ¥6,811

-73.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,272

$594 ¥3,953

-67.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥3,998

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-76.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,413

$1,213 ¥8,071

-70.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥20.4K

$13.5K ¥90.0K

-77.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$6,247 ¥41.6K

-66.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.36

15.77%

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

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 19.3% $38

Accommodation & Living

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 211% $403

Clothing & Footwear

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 25.1% $24

Eating Out

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 25.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3%

Shanghai

$76 6% 14.2% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 53.9% $29

Getting Around

Qinhuangdao

$21 3%

Shanghai

$37 3% 76.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Qinhuangdao and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Qinhuangdao vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $238 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

Same time as Qinhuangdao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,987,605

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Qinhuangdao Shanghai 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Qinhuangdao
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

Qinhuangdao vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qinhuangdao and Shanghai differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($714 vs $1,256 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,071 in Qinhuangdao and $1,884 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $276 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Qinhuangdao – a meal for two runs $22 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qinhuangdao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.