Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beihai Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beihai

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 12.2% more expensive than Beihai without rent, and 65.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 48.2% more expensive than Beihai without rent, and 79.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.97 ¥33.95
$2.77 ¥18.93
79.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥247
$21.01 ¥143
72.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.42 ¥37.04
$5.00 ¥34.12
8.40%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥24.31
$3.09 ¥21.12
15.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.64
$0.43 ¥2.92
23.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ¥2.28
$0.29 ¥2.00
13.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 ¥9.23
$0.87 ¥5.92
55.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥18.87
$2.13 ¥14.53
29.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ¥14.54
$1.82 ¥12.43
17.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 ¥12.58
$1.61 ¥10.97
14.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.19
$0.90 ¥6.17
16.67%
Eggs
$1.68 ¥11.45
$1.55 ¥10.60
8.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.58 ¥106
$12.73 ¥87.0
22.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 ¥22.13
$3.10 ¥21.16
4.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.83 ¥74.0
$10.02 ¥68.4
8.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 ¥16.22
$1.73 ¥11.79
36.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.57
$1.26 ¥8.63
34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.27
$1.36 ¥9.28
32.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 ¥10.09
$1.14 ¥7.78
29.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥5.83
$0.71 ¥4.88
19.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥7.99
$0.92 ¥6.31
27.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.25
$0.61 ¥4.14
1.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.15
$0.51 ¥3.48
19.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.81 ¥19.17
$3.04 ¥20.75
-7.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.89 ¥81.2
$10.27 ¥70.2
15.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.38
$0.80 ¥5.45
-1.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 ¥10.72
$1.64 ¥11.18
-4.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥2.98
$0.29 ¥2.00
51.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.93 ¥239
$16.97 ¥116
105.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ¥15.33
$1.41 ¥9.62
58.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.59
$0.32 ¥2.22
18.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.23 ¥56.2
$6.72 ¥45.86
22.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥7.87
$1.13 ¥7.73
1.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K ¥135.8K
$19.7K ¥134.7K
0.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.8K ¥121.8K
$17.0K ¥116.1K
4.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 ¥357
$45.44 ¥310
14.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.70 ¥59.4
$9.53 ¥65.1
-8.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.58 ¥92.7
$11.63 ¥79.5
16.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.31 ¥316
$42.08 ¥287
10.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.45 ¥140
$14.17 ¥96.8
44.32%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 ¥56.5
$6.25 ¥42.68
32.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,266 ¥8,649
$341 ¥2,332
270.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.9K ¥218.2K
$17.1K ¥117.1K
86.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ¥408
$43.89 ¥300
36.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.23 ¥261
$29.90 ¥204
27.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 ¥527
$71.5 ¥488
8.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.2 ¥657
$74.8 ¥511
28.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$948 ¥6,478
$273 ¥1,866
247.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ¥3,908
$189 ¥1,292
202.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,473 ¥16.9K
$589 ¥4,021
320.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,206 ¥8,239
$359 ¥2,455
235.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K ¥96.2K
$2,960 ¥20.2K
376.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,213 ¥49.3K
$1,691 ¥11.6K
326.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Beihai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,682 ¥11.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
3.87
-7.49%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Beihai: April 11, 2026

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The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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