Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Changchun Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Changchun

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 40.1% more expensive than Changchun without rent, and 61.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 27.6% more expensive than Changchun without rent, and 87.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.97 ¥33.95
$2.84 ¥19.41
75.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥247
$19.92 ¥136
81.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.42 ¥37.04
$4.91 ¥33.52
10.39%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥24.31
$2.59 ¥17.70
37.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.64
$0.48 ¥3.30
10.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ¥2.28
$0.29 ¥2.01
13.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 ¥9.23
$0.82 ¥5.60
64.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥18.87
$2.04 ¥13.91
35.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ¥14.54
$1.89 ¥12.91
12.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 ¥12.58
$1.24 ¥8.47
48.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.19
$1.27 ¥8.67
-17.32%
Eggs
$1.68 ¥11.45
$1.10 ¥7.53
52.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.58 ¥106
$12.99 ¥88.7
19.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 ¥22.13
$3.57 ¥24.35
-9.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.83 ¥74.0
$8.26 ¥56.4
31.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 ¥16.22
$1.44 ¥9.86
64.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.57
$1.01 ¥6.91
67.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.27
$0.83 ¥5.64
116.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 ¥10.09
$1.33 ¥9.09
11.28%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥5.83
$0.73 ¥5.01
16.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥7.99
$0.62 ¥4.22
88.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.25
$0.40 ¥2.73
55.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.15
$0.51 ¥3.46
19.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.81 ¥19.17
$3.06 ¥20.87
-8.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.89 ¥81.2
$11.67 ¥79.7
1.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.38
$0.73 ¥4.97
8.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 ¥10.72
$0.94 ¥6.45
67.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥2.98
$0.27 ¥1.82
62.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.93 ¥239
$17.01 ¥116
105.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ¥15.33
$1.14 ¥7.76
96.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.59
$0.28 ¥1.92
35.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.23 ¥56.2
$3.31 ¥22.58
148.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥7.87
$1.17 ¥8.01
-1.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K ¥135.8K
$18.4K ¥125.7K
8.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.8K ¥121.8K
$19.0K ¥129.9K
-6.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 ¥357
$42.52 ¥290
22.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.70 ¥59.4
$14.41 ¥98.4
-39.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.58 ¥92.7
$13.81 ¥94.3
-1.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.31 ¥316
$41.51 ¥284
11.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.45 ¥140
$3.81 ¥26.04
436.75%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 ¥56.5
$4.91 ¥33.51
68.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,266 ¥8,649
$274 ¥1,868
362.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.9K ¥218.2K
$8,360 ¥57.1K
282.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ¥408
$27.43 ¥187
117.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.23 ¥261
$30.20 ¥206
26.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 ¥527
$74.4 ¥508
3.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.2 ¥657
$80.3 ¥548
19.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$948 ¥6,478
$275 ¥1,880
244.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ¥3,908
$230 ¥1,574
148.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,473 ¥16.9K
$585 ¥3,996
322.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,206 ¥8,239
$362 ¥2,473
233.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K ¥96.2K
$1,785 ¥12.2K
689.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,213 ¥49.3K
$1,095 ¥7,476
558.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Changchun
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,682 ¥11.5K
$967 ¥6,603
73.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
5.27
-32.07%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Changchun: April 12, 2026

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