Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Bozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Bozhou: $678 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bozhou
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Bozhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Bozhou

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Bozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $678 in Bozhou.

Shanghai $1,244
Bozhou $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,083 in Bozhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Bozhou $1,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,487 in Bozhou.

Shanghai $2,755
Bozhou $1,487

Living in Shanghai is roughly 83% more expensive than in Bozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Bozhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$1.51 ¥10.12

201.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$22.71 ¥152

33.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.37 ¥29.23

20.14%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.68 ¥17.89

22.39%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.39 ¥2.60

46.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.27 ¥1.79

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.02 ¥6.85

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.84 ¥12.31

23.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.23 ¥8.20

49.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.06 ¥13.78

-4.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.44 ¥2.93

134.09%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$0.92 ¥6.16

81.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$14.11 ¥94.3

20.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$2.18 ¥14.60

46.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$10.63 ¥71.1

21.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.21 ¥8.12

85.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.06 ¥7.09

56.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$0.74 ¥4.95

172.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$0.73 ¥4.87

127.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.46 ¥3.09

67.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.59 ¥3.94

57.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.58 ¥3.87

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.62 ¥4.16

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.04 ¥20.30

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$11.81 ¥79.0

-7.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.94 ¥6.28

-12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.21 ¥8.11

33.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.31 ¥2.08

96.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$17.25 ¥115

70.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.04 ¥6.93

102.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.33 ¥2.19

30.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$3.52 ¥23.53

157.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.10 ¥7.35

20.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-3.02%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.7K ¥111.5K

12.16%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$48.90 ¥327

18.22%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$4.26 ¥28.47

89.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$7.26 ¥48.54

44.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$39.29 ¥263

67.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$14.76 ¥98.7

20.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$3.70 ¥24.72

141.89%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$244 ¥1,631

479.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$8,547 ¥57.1K

225.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$45.42 ¥304

18.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$32.95 ¥220

12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$64.5 ¥431

15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$74.9 ¥501

40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$309 ¥2,064

241.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$197 ¥1,320

196.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$551 ¥3,681

351.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$387 ¥2,590

218.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,746 ¥25.0K

271.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,918 ¥12.8K

225.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$748 ¥4,999

128.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.15

6.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bozhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Bozhou

$197 29.1% 66.2% $387

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Bozhou

$186 27.4% 21% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Bozhou

$98 14.5% 19.6% $24

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Bozhou

$69 10.1% 35.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Bozhou

$47 6.9% 44.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Bozhou

$60 8.9% 20.9% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Bozhou

$21 3.1% 41.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $309 in Bozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 129% 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 $23.00 in Bozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $186 per month, with Bozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Bozhou

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,537,231

💱 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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Shanghai Bozhou 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Bozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bozhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 129% 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 $309 in Bozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bozhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $678 in Bozhou – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $678 in Bozhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bozhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Bozhou 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.

Expats usually find Bozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.