Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $730 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Beihai

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $730 in Beihai, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Beihai $730

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,169 in Beihai, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Beihai $1,169

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $1,609 in Beihai, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Beihai $1,609

Shanghai costs about 72% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Beihai are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Beihai 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$3.07 ¥20.54

44.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$22.04 ¥147

37.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.27 ¥35.22

-3.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.79 ¥18.64

22.94%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.50 ¥3.37

24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.29 ¥1.92

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.09 ¥7.31

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$2.07 ¥13.86

6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.84 ¥12.30

0.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.64 ¥10.97

18.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$1.01 ¥6.73

-0.99%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.65 ¥11.05

3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$13.11 ¥87.7

33.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$3.29 ¥21.99

-1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.19 ¥74.8

16.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.84 ¥12.33

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$1.27 ¥8.47

32.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.49 ¥9.94

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$1.30 ¥8.71

33.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.75 ¥5.05

1.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.89 ¥5.94

3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.59 ¥3.94

11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.54 ¥3.63

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.81 ¥25.45

-3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$11.36 ¥76.0

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.82 ¥5.48

6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.61 ¥10.79

1.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.31 ¥2.09

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$18.21 ¥122

66.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.46 ¥9.76

41.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.33 ¥2.20

39.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.13 ¥47.70

23.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.31 ¥8.76

1.53%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-1.88%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.1K ¥114.5K

6.56%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$56.6 ¥378

0.99%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$8.64 ¥57.8

-6.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$11.24 ¥75.2

-4.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$40.94 ¥274

57.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$14.87 ¥99.4

16.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$6.31 ¥42.17

43.42%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$426 ¥2,847

238.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$17.7K ¥118.4K

59.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$42.93 ¥287

24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$32.91 ¥220

12.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$73.5 ¥491

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$75.5 ¥505

37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$299 ¥1,999

242.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$183 ¥1,222

224.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$621 ¥4,152

312.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$373 ¥2,495

224.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,506 ¥23.4K

285.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,974 ¥13.2K

216.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Beihai

$183 25% 69.2% $411

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Beihai

$207 28.4% 12.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Beihai

$101 13.9% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Beihai

$87 11.9% 18.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Beihai

$54 7.3% 35.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Beihai

$76 10.5% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Beihai

$23 3.1% 39.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $299 in Beihai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $22.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $207 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,617,500

💱 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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Between locations

Shanghai Beihai 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 72% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Shanghai and $1,095 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 15% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $22.00 in Beihai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – 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 Beihai. 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.