Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Botosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Botosani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $895 in Botosani.

Shanghai $1,222
Botosani $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,321 in Botosani.

Shanghai $1,971
Botosani $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,747 in Botosani.

Shanghai $2,720
Botosani $1,747

Living in Shanghai is roughly 37% more expensive than in Botosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Botosani 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$9.05 RON 43.47

-49.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$27.82 RON 134

8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$7.22 RON 34.69

-29.22%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$2.27 RON 10.93

50.22%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.38 RON 6.65

-57.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$1.18 RON 5.68

-70.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.90 RON 9.16

-35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.31 RON 11.11

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.39 RON 6.67

35.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.07 RON 5.13

81.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.46 RON 7.02

-32.88%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.90 RON 13.96

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$6.92 RON 33.25

145.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$5.91 RON 28.42

-45.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$9.08 RON 43.66

42.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$1.00 RON 4.80

115.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.30 RON 6.25

33.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.44 RON 6.90

40.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.86 RON 8.92

-6.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.77 RON 3.68

7.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.54 RON 2.58

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.81 RON 3.88

-17.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.71 RON 3.40

-16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$5.93 RON 28.51

-36.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$6.40 RON 30.75

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.03 RON 4.97

-12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.59 RON 7.64

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.75 RON 3.61

-24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$29.58 RON 142

0.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$0.70 RON 3.38

205.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.72 RON 3.45

-34.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$7.30 RON 35.08

19.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.77 RON 8.50

-24.29%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$26.3K RON 126.6K

-26.91%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$25.5K RON 122.6K

-28.36%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$98.7 RON 474

-40.31%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$7.45 RON 35.83

6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$8.29 RON 39.84

27.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$30.75 RON 148

110.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$23.24 RON 112

-24.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$5.30 RON 25.46

70.94%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$315 RON 1,513

404.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$45.88 RON 220

19.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$30.22 RON 145

23.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$62.5 RON 300

19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$66.6 RON 320

59.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$391 RON 1,877

162.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$280 RON 1,347

99.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$537 RON 2,583

387.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$379 RON 1,820

214.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$1,367 RON 6,571

878.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,010 RON 4,853

546.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$974 RON 4,681

75.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.57

-48.86%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Botosani: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Botosani

$280 31.3% 49.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Botosani

$184 20.5% 22.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Botosani

$92 10.3% 24.7% $30

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Botosani

$146 16.3% 36.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Botosani

$41 4.6% 50.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Botosani

$114 12.8% 47.8% $37

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Botosani

$37 4.1% 1.4% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $391 in Botosani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $28 in Botosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $184 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇴 Botosani

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

00:04 12:04 AM

6 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

106,847

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Botosani 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Botosani

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 Botosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $895 in Botosani, so Botosani is about 27% cheaper – 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $391 in Botosani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $315 in Botosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Botosani – a meal for two runs $28 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani 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.

It comes down to priorities – Botosani wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.