Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,184 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $720 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Beijing (Pekin) $1,184

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,916 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Beijing (Pekin) $1,916

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,647 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Beijing (Pekin) $2,647

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Shanghai and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$4.47 ¥29.86

2.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$29.66 ¥198

1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.21 ¥34.80

0.77%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.72 ¥24.86

-11.83%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.50 ¥3.34

14.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.26 ¥1.73

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.17 ¥7.84

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.66 ¥11.07

36.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.65 ¥11.05

11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.76 ¥11.74

11.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.27 ¥8.51

-18.90%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.88 ¥12.55

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$14.65 ¥98.0

15.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.15 ¥21.03

1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.03 ¥73.8

16.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.02 ¥13.53

10.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.72 ¥11.47

-3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.08 ¥13.94

-2.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.55 ¥10.35

7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.72 ¥4.82

6.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.85 ¥5.68

9.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.69 ¥4.60

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.61 ¥4.10

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$4.32 ¥28.88

-12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$14.10 ¥94.3

-22.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.01 ¥6.76

-18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.82 ¥12.17

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.70 ¥4.67

-12.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$34.48 ¥231

-14.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.92 ¥12.84

9.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.33 ¥2.19

30.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.67 ¥51.3

18.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.34 ¥8.93

-0.75%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

-1.32%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

2.25%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$57.3 ¥383

0.85%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$9.13 ¥61.0

-11.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$14.22 ¥95.1

-26.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$42.34 ¥283

55.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$24.61 ¥165

-27.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$7.40 ¥49.48

20.95%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$660 ¥4,410

114.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

15.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$69.8 ¥467

-22.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$39.69 ¥265

-6.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$88.9 ¥594

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$127 ¥849

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$940 ¥6,286

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$524 ¥3,501

11.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,319 ¥15.5K

7.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,128 ¥7,542

9.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$12.4K ¥82.8K

12.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$6,284 ¥42.0K

-0.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,713 ¥11.5K

-0.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.12

7.69%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2% 10.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2% 3.4% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4% 20.1% $24

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 2% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8% 31.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8% 5.6% $4.3

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 13.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $940 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 0% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Shanghai vs $227 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

21,893,095 Capital

💱 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 Beijing (Pekin) 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,775 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.