Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $889 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Da Nang

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Shanghai vs $889 in Da Nang, rent included.

Shanghai $1,222
Da Nang $889

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Shanghai vs $1,426 in Da Nang, rent included.

Shanghai $1,971
Da Nang $1,426

A family of three spends $2,720 per month in Shanghai vs $1,963 in Da Nang, rent included.

Shanghai $2,720
Da Nang $1,963

Shanghai costs about 38% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Shanghai and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 10% lower, Da Nang 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$2.17 ₫56.1K

108.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$19.53 ₫504.6K

54.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$4.53 ₫117.1K

12.80%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$1.64 ₫42.4K

107.93%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.60 ₫15.6K

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.34 ₫8,912

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.33 ₫34.4K

-7.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.36 ₫61.0K

-2.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.60 ₫41.2K

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.20 ₫31.1K

61.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.05 ₫27.1K

-6.67%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.52 ₫39.4K

11.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$12.82 ₫331.1K

32.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$4.17 ₫107.6K

-22.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$9.33 ₫240.9K

38.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$2.60 ₫67.3K

-17.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.21 ₫31.4K

42.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.28 ₫33.1K

58.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.57 ₫40.6K

10.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.20 ₫31.0K

-30.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.31 ₫33.9K

-29.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.04 ₫26.9K

-35.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.49 ₫12.7K

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$1.51 ₫39.0K

149.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$7.97 ₫205.9K

38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.93 ₫24.0K

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.18 ₫56.4K

-26.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.30 ₫7,702

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$6.31 ₫162.9K

369.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.04 ₫26.8K

105.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.57 ₫14.6K

-17.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$19.27 ₫497.7K

-54.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$0.91 ₫23.5K

47.25%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$30.8K ₫796.3M

-37.55%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$28.4K ₫733.1M

-35.58%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$78.5 ₫2.0M

-25.01%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$6.35 ₫164.1K

24.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$8.33 ₫215.2K

27.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$27.08 ₫699.4K

139.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$5.32 ₫137.4K

228.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$3.37 ₫87.0K

168.84%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$423 ₫10.9M

275.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$15.1K ₫390.0M

87.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$45.19 ₫1.2M

20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$27.75 ₫717.0K

34.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$101 ₫2.6M

-25.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$82.8 ₫2.1M

28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$553 ₫14.3M

85.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$369 ₫9.5M

51.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$1,228 ₫31.7M

113.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$821 ₫21.2M

45.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$3,858 ₫99.6M

246.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,877 ₫48.5M

247.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$362 ₫9.4M

372.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

10.72

-68.66%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Da Nang

$369 41.5% 34% $190

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Da Nang

$200 22.5% 15.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Da Nang

$115 13% 5.9% $7.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Da Nang

$66 7.4% 38.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Da Nang

$34 3.8% 59.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Da Nang

$93 10.5% 20.5% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Da Nang

$11 1.3% 68.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Shanghai versus $553 in Da Nang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shanghai are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai versus $20 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

1 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Da Nang 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Da Nang

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 Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai, $889 in Da Nang – Da Nang comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Shanghai and $1,333 in Da Nang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $553 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Shanghai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai and $20 in Da Nang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Da Nang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.