Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Artem

For one person, living is cheaper in Artem: $1,095 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Artem
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Artem Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Artem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,095 in Artem.

Shanghai $1,250
Artem $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,729 in Artem.

Shanghai $2,019
Artem $1,729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,362 in Artem.

Shanghai $2,789
Artem $2,362

Living in Shanghai is roughly 14% more expensive than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Artem 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$11.95 ₽1,016

-61.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$35.43 ₽3,012

-16.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$6.30 ₽536

-19.05%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$3.02 ₽257

13.25%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$1.04 ₽88.5

-41.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.69 ₽58.5

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$1.45 ₽123

-16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$2.30 ₽195

-0.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.68 ₽143

10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$0.66 ₽55.9

204.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$1.61 ₽137

-36.65%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$2.34 ₽199

-26.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$13.16 ₽1,119

30.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$6.23 ₽529

-46.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$11.07 ₽941

15.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$2.90 ₽246

-25.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$2.08 ₽177

-16.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$2.69 ₽229

-27.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$4.12 ₽350

-59.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$0.98 ₽83.3

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.03 ₽87.7

-9.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$1.29 ₽110

-51.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.05 ₽89.2

-44.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$2.91 ₽247

31.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$7.61 ₽647

43.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.16 ₽98.5

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$2.30 ₽196

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.56 ₽47.26

5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$2.40 ₽204

-14.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.34 ₽29.05

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$5.89 ₽501

49.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$0.86 ₽72.7

47.67%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$44.8K ₽3.8M

-56.30%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$35.2K ₽3.0M

-47.23%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$153 ₽13.0K

-62.61%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$8.22 ₽699

-1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$9.21 ₽783

14.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$37.85 ₽3,218

70.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$20.31 ₽1,727

-13.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$5.34 ₽454

65.54%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$348 ₽29.5K

313.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$6,051 ₽514.4K

363.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$78.1 ₽6,638

-29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$51.6 ₽4,386

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$97.2 ₽8,263

-22.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$125 ₽10.6K

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$387 ₽32.9K

168.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$312 ₽26.5K

88.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$983 ₽83.6K

152.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$629 ₽53.4K

96.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$2,160 ₽183.6K

528.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,297 ₽110.2K

377.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

23.6

-85.76%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Artem

$312 28% 47% $277

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Artem

$250 22.4% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Artem

$158 14.2% 30% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Artem

$170 15.2% 58% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Artem

$49 4.4% 41% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Artem

$170 15.3% 125% $95

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Artem

$6.3 * 0.6% 82.9% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $387 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $35.00 in Artem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $250 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇺 Artem

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

104,926

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Artem 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Artem

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 Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Artem wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Artem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,874 in Shanghai and $1,643 in Artem 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $387 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $348 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Artem – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,095 in Artem versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Artem but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Artem 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.

Expats usually find Artem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.