Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandton and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandton and Shanghai

😐 Solo nomad: Sandton is 4.9% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 9% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sandton is 17% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 12% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 R 184

$4.85 ¥34.29

122.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.52 R 760

$36.66 ¥259

21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 R 84.8

$5.41 ¥38.27

-8.32%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 35.06

$3.53 ¥24.95

-41.93%

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

$1.06 R 18.09

$0.58 ¥4.12

82.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.85

$0.34 ¥2.39

138.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 R 39.04

$1.4 ¥9.92

63.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 42.18

$2.78 ¥19.64

-11.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.2 R 20.5

$2.11 ¥14.91

-43.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 17.56

$1.84 ¥13.01

-44.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 R 26.52

$1.06 ¥7.47

46.23%

Eggs

$2.47 R 42.24

$1.61 ¥11.38

53.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.6 R 130

$15.27 ¥108

-50.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 R 79.7

$3.07 ¥21.68

52.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 R 116

$10.94 ¥77.4

-38.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R 28.63

$2.38 ¥16.8

-29.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R 25.29

$1.75 ¥12.36

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R 28.06

$1.79 ¥12.67

-8.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.86

$1.47 ¥10.38

10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 R 23.43

$0.85 ¥6.04

61.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.93

$1.11 ¥7.88

31.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 18.66

$0.64 ¥4.51

70.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 16

$0.56 ¥3.96

67.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 R 47.25

$2.82 ¥19.93

-1.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 R 98.4

$11.49 ¥81.2

-49.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 23.33

$0.78 ¥5.53

75.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 27.16

$1.63 ¥11.56

-2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 27.69

$0.44 ¥3.09

268.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.77 ¥246

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.1 R 18.81

$2.21 ¥15.61

-50.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R 16.35

$0.4 ¥2.85

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 R 51.9

$8.33 ¥58.9

-63.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R 22.39

$1.09 ¥7.68

20.18%

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

$22.3K R 380.3K

$19.7K ¥139.3K

13.01%

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

$23.5K R 401.4K

$18.1K ¥127.9K

29.96%

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

$120 R 2,046

$51.8 ¥366

131.45%

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

$36.78 R 628

$8.81 ¥62.3

317.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.91 R 733

$13.66 ¥96.6

214.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.69 R 729

$46.59 ¥329

-8.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 ¥141

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 R 125

$8.58 ¥60.6

-14.57%

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

$197 R 3,363

$1,267 ¥8,958

-84.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,939 R 84.3K

$32K ¥226.3K

-84.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 R 860

$58.4 ¥413

-13.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 R 578

$37.88 ¥268

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 R 1,539

$76.5 ¥541

17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 R 1,509

$95.9 ¥678

-7.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,792

$961 ¥6,798

-58.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 R 6,562

$560 ¥3,958

-31.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 R 11.4K

$2,502 ¥17.7K

-73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 R 13.8K

$1,192 ¥8,426

-31.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$744 R 12.7K

$14.3K ¥100.8K

-94.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$667 R 11.4K

$7,164 ¥50.7K

-90.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,997 R 34.1K

$1,553 ¥11K

28.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

3.58

221.51%

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

Last update for Sandton: November 30, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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