Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Aydin

For one person, living is cheaper in Aydin: $914 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Aydin
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Aydin Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Aydin

🇹🇷 Turkey

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Aydin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $914 in Aydin.

Shanghai $1,244
Aydin $914

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,490 in Aydin.

Shanghai $1,999
Aydin $1,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,066 in Aydin.

Shanghai $2,755
Aydin $2,066

Living in Shanghai is roughly 36% more expensive than in Aydin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Aydin 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.15 ₺305

-25.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$24.75 ₺1,225

22.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$8.26 ₺409

-36.44%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.26 ₺161

0.61%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.19 ₺58.9

-52.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.35 ₺17.43

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.13 ₺155

-60.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.37 ₺167

-32.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$0.94 ₺46.60

95.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.02 ₺50.4

92.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.30 ₺114

-55.22%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.88 ₺93.1

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.09 ₺450

86.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.28 ₺162

-2.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$21.20 ₺1,049

-39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.94 ₺96.2

15.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.95 ₺96.6

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$0.99 ₺49.16

104.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.13 ₺56.0

46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.59 ₺29.26

30.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.39 ₺19.24

138.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.75 ₺37.19

-16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.73 ₺36.25

-17.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$2.22 ₺110

71.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$7.90 ₺391

37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.98 ₺97.8

-58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.82 ₺140

-42.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.53 ₺26.24

15.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$42.64 ₺2,111

-31.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.58 ₺78.3

33.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.04 ₺51.3

-58.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$5.47 ₺271

65.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.35 ₺67.0

-1.48%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-52.87%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$37.8K ₺1.9M

-50.55%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$41.72 ₺2,066

38.57%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.30 ₺411

-2.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$12.39 ₺614

-15.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$23.84 ₺1,180

175.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.79 ₺633

39.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.40 ₺317

39.84%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$298 ₺14.8K

374.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$6,708 ₺332.1K

315.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$45.53 ₺2,254

18.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$37.17 ₺1,840

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$90.4 ₺4,474

-17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$83.0 ₺4,107

27.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$302 ₺15.0K

248.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$287 ₺14.2K

104.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$702 ₺34.7K

254.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$635 ₺31.5K

93.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,012 ₺99.6K

592.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,443 ₺71.5K

333.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$970 ₺48.0K

76.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

42.33

-92.06%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aydin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Aydin

$287 31.3% 51% $298

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Aydin

$220 24.1% 6.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Aydin

$115 12.6% 5.5% $6.7

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Aydin

$142 15.5% 33.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Aydin

$37 4% 56.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Aydin

$62 6.8% 18.3% $14

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Aydin

$52 5.6% 42.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $302 in Aydin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 76% 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 $25.00 in Aydin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $220 per month, with Aydin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇹🇷 Aydin

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

5 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,119,084

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Aydin 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Aydin

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 Aydin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Aydin differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $914 including rent). Aydin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 76% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $302 in Aydin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Aydin – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $914 in Aydin – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $914 in Aydin versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aydin but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Aydin 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 Aydin 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 Aydin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.