Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
Learn more

Cixi Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $709 in Cixi.

Shanghai $1,256
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Shanghai $1,999
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Shanghai $2,743
Cixi $1,542

Living in Shanghai is roughly 77% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Cixi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$2.75 ¥18.38

61.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$21.47 ¥144

41.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.78 ¥31.99

6.49%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.98 ¥19.94

15.10%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.43 ¥2.88

44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.29 ¥1.94

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.94 ¥6.30

30.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$2.12 ¥14.19

4.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.87 ¥12.50

-1.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.57 ¥10.48

24.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$0.97 ¥6.51

3.09%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.54 ¥10.30

11.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$12.61 ¥84.3

38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$3.12 ¥20.89

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$10.08 ¥67.4

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.81 ¥12.10

23.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$1.25 ¥8.36

34.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.54 ¥10.30

26.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$1.09 ¥7.29

58.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.70 ¥4.65

8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.94 ¥6.30

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.59 ¥3.96

11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.54 ¥3.63

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.05 ¥20.39

20.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$10.52 ¥70.3

3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.74 ¥4.93

17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.64 ¥10.96

-0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.29 ¥1.96

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$16.43 ¥110

84.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.43 ¥9.54

44.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.36 ¥2.38

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$6.57 ¥43.90

34.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.13 ¥7.54

17.70%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

0.65%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

4.69%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$45.68 ¥305

25.02%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$9.85 ¥65.8

-18.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$11.86 ¥79.3

-9.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$41.22 ¥276

56.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$13.86 ¥92.7

24.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$5.82 ¥38.92

55.50%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$334 ¥2,231

332.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

70.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$42.93 ¥287

24.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$30.21 ¥202

22.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$71.7 ¥479

7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$72.1 ¥482

44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$280 ¥1,875

264.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$190 ¥1,268

213.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$590 ¥3,942

334.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$358 ¥2,394

238.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,020 ¥20.2K

347.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$2,070 ¥13.8K

201.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.89

-13.62%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 68.1% $404

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 17% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 20.1% $25

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 21.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 36.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 11.2% $8.5

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 44.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,829,488

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Cixi 120 km

From you

Shanghai
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,064 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $709 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.