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

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 4.3% cheaper than Dalian without rent, and 47.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 28% more expensive than Dalian without rent, and 60.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$3.50 ¥24.41

36.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$24.78 ¥173

44.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$4.99 ¥34.84

9.22%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$3.00 ¥20.91

14.00%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.47 ¥3.27

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.26 ¥1.82

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$0.87 ¥6.10

63.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$1.51 ¥10.53

85.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$1.64 ¥11.45

27.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$1.53 ¥10.70

20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$0.95 ¥6.62

15.79%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$2.04 ¥14.23

-21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$18.99 ¥133

-19.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$2.68 ¥18.73

14.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$10.17 ¥71.0

6.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$1.24 ¥8.68

87.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.14 ¥7.97

55.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.33 ¥9.26

33.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$0.72 ¥5.03

104.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.69 ¥4.79

17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$0.72 ¥5.03

61.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.69 ¥4.84

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.57 ¥3.94

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$3.44 ¥24.03

-19.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$17.27 ¥121

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.80 ¥5.56

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.51 ¥10.55

6.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.27 ¥1.86

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$28.16 ¥197

21.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.35 ¥9.41

69.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.39 ¥2.75

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$4.01 ¥28.02

107.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.14 ¥7.94

0.88%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$18.3K ¥127.7K

7.46%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$15.8K ¥110.2K

15.70%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$42.94 ¥300

21.22%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$9.51 ¥66.4

-7.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$11.50 ¥80.3

20.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$36.62 ¥256

26.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$24.55 ¥171

-19.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$6.53 ¥45.57

26.80%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$457 ¥3,192

183.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$9,398 ¥65.6K

228.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$54.9 ¥383

8.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$50.5 ¥352

-24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$106 ¥737

-26.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$93.9 ¥655

5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$355 ¥2,480

165.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$203 ¥1,416

181.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$637 ¥4,448

286.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$363 ¥2,531

231.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$2,572 ¥18.0K

453.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$1,582 ¥11.0K

347.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,053 ¥7,350

54.99%

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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Dalian: 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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