Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Shanghai $1,222
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Shanghai $1,971
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Shanghai $2,720
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Shanghai is roughly 97% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.03

$1.91 MYR 7.79

137.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$20.97 MYR 85.4

43.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.94

$3.98 MYR 16.21

28.39%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.64

$3.14 MYR 12.77

8.60%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.69 MYR 2.82

-15.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.45 MYR 1.85

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$4.51 MYR 18.35

-72.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.33

$6.26 MYR 25.48

-63.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.48

$1.66 MYR 6.76

13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.85

$1.12 MYR 4.56

73.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-49.74%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.28

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.83 MYR 56.3

23.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.36

$4.41 MYR 17.96

-26.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.8

$9.98 MYR 40.64

29.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.27

$3.39 MYR 13.79

-36.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.45

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-1.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.47

$2.26 MYR 9.21

-10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.51

$1.55 MYR 6.31

11.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.49

$1.27 MYR 5.15

-34.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-40.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.03

$4.45 MYR 18.11

-15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.2

$19.54 MYR 79.5

-43.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.98

$3.42 MYR 13.91

-73.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.65

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-68.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.21

$1.24 MYR 5.03

72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.09

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-60.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.0

$4.95 MYR 20.16

76.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.91

$0.81 MYR 3.31

65.43%

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

$19.3K ¥127.8K

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

-56.11%

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

$18.3K ¥121.3K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

-48.52%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$63.1 MYR 257

-6.63%

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

$7.90 ¥52.4

$8.54 MYR 34.76

-7.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.3

$26.67 MYR 109

-60.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥430

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.1

$5.00 MYR 20.36

81.20%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$249 MYR 1,013

537.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.4K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

114.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥362

$70.5 MYR 287

-22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$41.35 MYR 168

-10.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$86.7 MYR 353

-14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$95.0 MYR 387

11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,808

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,712

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,905

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$572 MYR 2,330

199.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.17

-19.42%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 13.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 7.7% $9.4

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 2.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 87.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 27% $21

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 80.2% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Shanghai pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $21 in Bukit Mertajam. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $269, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

212,329

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Bukit Mertajam 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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 – Bukit Mertajam wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.