Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Chengdu Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Chengdu

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 25.4% more expensive than Chengdu without rent, and 73.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 32.8% more expensive than Chengdu without rent, and 81.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$2.85 ¥19.92

67.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$23.68 ¥165

51.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$4.78 ¥33.39

14.02%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$2.86 ¥19.97

19.58%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.43 ¥3.02

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.30 ¥2.11

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$1.14 ¥7.95

24.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$2.15 ¥14.99

30.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$1.76 ¥12.28

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$1.45 ¥10.15

27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$0.90 ¥6.29

22.22%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$1.87 ¥13.08

-14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$13.71 ¥95.7

11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$3.65 ¥25.48

-15.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$11.15 ¥77.8

-2.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$1.86 ¥12.97

25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.23 ¥8.55

43.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.52 ¥10.62

17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$1.02 ¥7.15

44.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.67 ¥4.66

20.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$0.71 ¥4.94

63.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.61 ¥4.24

3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.60 ¥4.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$3.43 ¥23.95

-19.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$7.29 ¥50.9

57.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.93 ¥6.49

-9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.81 ¥12.66

-11.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$27.33 ¥191

24.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.22 ¥8.55

87.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.28 ¥1.97

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$4.29 ¥29.93

93.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.12 ¥7.85

2.68%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$18.4K ¥128.7K

6.58%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$16.6K ¥115.5K

10.34%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$44.46 ¥310

17.07%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$11.65 ¥81.3

-24.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$11.49 ¥80.2

20.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$24.50 ¥171

89.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$11.27 ¥78.7

75.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$5.58 ¥38.96

48.39%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$339 ¥2,364

283.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$12.3K ¥86.0K

150.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$37.09 ¥259

61.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$38.29 ¥267

-0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$65.6 ¥458

18.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$50.5 ¥353

96.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$316 ¥2,207

198.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$179 ¥1,251

218.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$611 ¥4,263

302.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$334 ¥2,329

260.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$3,998 ¥27.9K

256.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$2,015 ¥14.1K

251.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,110 ¥7,744

47.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.21

-14.96%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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