Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $625 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
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Ambon Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Ambon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Ambon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $625 in Ambon.

Shanghai $1,250
Ambon $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $997 in Ambon.

Shanghai $2,019
Ambon $997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $1,368 in Ambon.

Shanghai $2,789
Ambon $1,368

Living in Shanghai is roughly 100% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Ambon 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

313.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$13.77 Rp 246.2K

114.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$3.82 Rp 68.3K

33.51%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

132.65%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.43 Rp 7,711

41.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.29 Rp 5,155

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

-47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$3.46 Rp 61.8K

-33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

73.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$0.99 Rp 17.6K

103.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

27.50%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

25.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$7.33 Rp 131.1K

134.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$2.93 Rp 52.4K

14.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$7.72 Rp 138.0K

65.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$2.23 Rp 39.9K

-2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

34.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$1.70 Rp 30.3K

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$1.27 Rp 22.6K

32.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

-40.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.99 Rp 35.6K

-53.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

-15.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.43 Rp 7,711

34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

67.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$21.10 Rp 377.1K

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.81 Rp 32.3K

-53.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$3.05 Rp 54.5K

-47.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.26 Rp 4,719

126.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$16.64 Rp 297.5K

81.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$0.52 Rp 9,372

296.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.36 Rp 6,402

30.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$2.69 Rp 48.0K

227.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

56.79%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$21.1K Rp 377.3M

-7.15%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$27.3K Rp 487.1M

-31.82%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

-0.47%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$5.48 Rp 97.9K

47.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$18.88 Rp 337.4K

-44.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$18.58 Rp 332.0K

247.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$7.69 Rp 137.5K

129.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

545.26%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$95.1 Rp 1.7M

1412.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$6,994 Rp 125.0M

301.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$42.94 Rp 767.5K

27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$32.09 Rp 573.6K

13.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$73.0 Rp 1.3M

3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$71.7 Rp 1.3M

44.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$207 Rp 3.7M

402.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$127 Rp 2.3M

363.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$477 Rp 8.5M

421.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$405 Rp 7.2M

205.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$1,004 Rp 17.9M

1252.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$915 Rp 16.4M

576.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$125 Rp 2.2M

1274.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

9.46

-64.48%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ambon: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Ambon

$127 21.1% 78.4% $462

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Ambon

$194 32.3% 17.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Ambon

$99 16.4% 18.8% $23

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Ambon

$59 9.8% 44.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Ambon

$21 3.5% 74.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Ambon

$82 13.6% 8% $6

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Ambon

$20 3.3% 45.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $207 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 1274% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $14.00 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $194 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

275,888

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Ambon 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Ambon

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

Shanghai vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1274% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $207 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,250 per month in Shanghai versus $625 in Ambon – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 82% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $625 in Ambon versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ambon but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Ambon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Ambon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ambon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.