Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Anqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $643 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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 Anqing
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Anqing Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Anqing

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 Anqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $643 in Anqing, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Anqing $643

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,005 in Anqing, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Anqing $1,005

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $1,368 in Anqing, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Anqing $1,368

Shanghai costs about 93% more than Anqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shanghai and Anqing are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Anqing 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$2.68 ¥17.95

70.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$19.93 ¥133

51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.87 ¥39.23

-10.56%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.14 ¥14.28

53.27%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.88

32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.21 ¥1.40

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.04 ¥6.95

18.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.36 ¥9.07

66.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$0.98 ¥6.55

87.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.51 ¥10.10

29.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.01 ¥6.72

1.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$0.88 ¥5.91

89.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$13.30 ¥88.9

27.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.62 ¥24.23

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.67 ¥78.1

10.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.19 ¥14.66

2.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.26 ¥8.39

31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.46 ¥9.77

38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.14 ¥7.61

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.78 ¥5.24

-1.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.82 ¥5.51

13.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.38 ¥2.51

65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.38 ¥2.55

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$6.57 ¥43.90

-42.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$11.83 ¥79.1

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.74 ¥4.93

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.50 ¥10.06

7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$0.93 ¥6.21

126.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.24 ¥1.60

79.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$3.00 ¥20.09

202.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.23 ¥8.24

8.13%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.5K ¥130.5K

-2.55%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.6K ¥110.7K

12.99%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$57.8 ¥386

0.09%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.67 ¥58.0

-6.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$8.71 ¥58.2

20.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$75.3 ¥504

-12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$15.11 ¥101

17.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$5.25 ¥35.10

70.48%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$221 ¥1,476

540.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$11.8K ¥79.1K

135.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$25.01 ¥167

115.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$21.19 ¥142

75.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$78.2 ¥523

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$34.17 ¥228

208.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$193 ¥1,289

447.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$137 ¥917

326.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$357 ¥2,384

596.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$238 ¥1,592

417.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$13.1K ¥87.7K

6.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$6,480 ¥43.3K

-3.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$775 ¥5,179

120.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

12.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Anqing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Anqing

$137 21.3% 76.5% $448

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Anqing

$196 30.5% 16.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Anqing

$71 11.1% 41.5% $51

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 29.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Anqing

$86 13.4% 2.7% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 1.6% $1.2

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3% 94.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $193 in Anqing. 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 121% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $20.00 in Anqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $196 – making Anqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Anqing

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,165,284

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Anqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $643 in Anqing – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $964 in Anqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Anqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $20.00 in Anqing. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Shanghai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anqing, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Anqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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