Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dalian Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dalian

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 0.3% cheaper than Dalian without rent, and 54.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 18.1% more expensive than Dalian without rent, and 54.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.73 ¥33.92

$3.38 ¥24.23

39.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥259

$24.34 ¥175

48.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.6 ¥40.18

$4.92 ¥35.27

13.82%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥25.53

$3.15 ¥22.58

13.02%

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

$0.54 ¥3.9

$0.5 ¥3.61

8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.59

$0.24 ¥1.7

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 ¥10.25

$0.85 ¥6.13

68.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥19.81

$1.52 ¥10.87

81.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥15.66

$1.6 ¥11.49

36.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ¥13

$1.52 ¥10.89

19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.1 ¥7.9

$0.88 ¥6.34

25.00%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥12.1

$1.96 ¥14.08

-13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.79 ¥113

$19.18 ¥138

-17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥22.76

$2.66 ¥19.09

19.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.88 ¥78.1

$10 ¥71.8

8.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥16.24

$1.3 ¥9.34

73.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.98

$1.15 ¥8.23

45.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.78

$1.29 ¥9.26

37.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.94

$0.76 ¥5.42

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥6.09

$0.69 ¥4.94

23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.37

$0.73 ¥5.2

60.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.84

$0.75 ¥5.37

-9.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.6 ¥4.29

$0.61 ¥4.36

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ¥20.56

$3.45 ¥24.72

-16.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 ¥80

$20.09 ¥144

-44.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.8 ¥5.73

$0.84 ¥6.01

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥11.22

$1.46 ¥10.47

6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.4 ¥2.89

$0.27 ¥1.94

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.15 ¥252

$28.35 ¥203

23.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥16.45

$1.36 ¥9.78

68.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.69

$0.43 ¥3.09

-13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 ¥58.4

$4.07 ¥29.16

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥7.81

$1.18 ¥8.45

-7.63%

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

$19.5K ¥140.1K

$18K ¥129.1K

8.56%

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

$18.2K ¥130.5K

$15.8K ¥113K

15.48%

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

$51.6 ¥370

$43.39 ¥311

18.81%

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

$8.68 ¥62.2

$9.24 ¥66.3

-6.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.5 ¥96.8

$11.32 ¥81.2

19.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥333

$36.64 ¥263

26.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.44 ¥147

$23.99 ¥172

-14.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 ¥61.5

$6.78 ¥48.64

26.55%

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

$1,307 ¥9,378

$456 ¥3,274

186.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K ¥225.4K

$9,378 ¥67.3K

235.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 ¥422

$54.7 ¥392

7.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 ¥265

$50.5 ¥362

-26.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥558

$107 ¥768

-27.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 ¥706

$94.5 ¥678

4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 ¥6,827

$356 ¥2,550

167.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥4,115

$210 ¥1,504

173.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 ¥18.1K

$628 ¥4,507

300.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ¥8,614

$371 ¥2,664

223.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K ¥103.2K

$2,947 ¥21.1K

388.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,106 ¥51K

$1,493 ¥10.7K

375.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,534 ¥11K

$858 ¥6,152

78.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.18

-14.35%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Last update for Dalian: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

Batumi, Ajara

🇬🇪 Georgia

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

Porto Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil