Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Chaozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Shanghai $1,256
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Shanghai $2,743
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Shanghai is roughly 96% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Chaozhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$2.26 ¥15.10

96.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$23.63 ¥158

28.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$3.54 ¥23.65

43.79%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$1.52 ¥10.18

125.66%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.49 ¥3.29

26.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.29 ¥1.93

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.17 ¥7.83

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$2.87 ¥19.20

-23.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.52 ¥10.19

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.48 ¥9.88

31.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$0.73 ¥4.87

36.99%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.16 ¥7.74

47.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$9.61 ¥64.2

81.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$2.52 ¥16.85

28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.99 ¥80.1

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$2.20 ¥14.74

1.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$0.94 ¥6.29

78.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$0.92 ¥6.16

111.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$1.76 ¥11.77

-1.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.62 ¥4.15

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.47 ¥3.15

95.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.43 ¥2.88

53.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.31 ¥2.08

93.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$2.95 ¥19.76

25.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$11.03 ¥73.8

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.72 ¥4.84

20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.17 ¥7.84

39.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.29 ¥1.92

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$18.02 ¥121

68.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.00 ¥6.71

106.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.29 ¥1.91

58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.03 ¥47.02

25.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.24 ¥8.26

7.26%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

-0.67%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.7K ¥118.1K

3.29%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$43.79 ¥293

30.42%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$4.32 ¥28.86

86.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$11.32 ¥75.7

-5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$41.24 ¥276

56.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$15.04 ¥101

14.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$6.36 ¥42.53

42.30%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$483 ¥3,231

198.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$24.7K ¥165.0K

14.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$13.41 ¥89.7

299.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$28.46 ¥190

30.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$88.1 ¥589

-12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$60.0 ¥401

73.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$300 ¥2,003

241.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$179 ¥1,200

230.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$624 ¥4,169

310.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$376 ¥2,513

222.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

283.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

220.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$490 ¥3,279

246.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.46

-2.89%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 69.8% $414

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 24.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 30% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 42.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 34.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 41.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 247% 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,568,387

💱 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 Chaozhou 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Chaozhou differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 247% 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $300 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.