Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $910 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Dalian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $910 in Dalian.

Shanghai $1,244
Dalian $910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,436 in Dalian.

Shanghai $1,999
Dalian $1,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,961 in Dalian.

Shanghai $2,755
Dalian $1,961

Living in Shanghai is roughly 37% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Dalian 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.49 ¥23.37

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$24.97 ¥167

20.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.13 ¥34.27

2.34%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.30 ¥22.08

-0.61%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.15

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.23 ¥1.53

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.92 ¥6.18

33.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.45 ¥9.69

56.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.63 ¥10.88

12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.47 ¥9.84

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.94 ¥6.32

9.57%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.56 ¥10.46

7.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$20.01 ¥134

-15.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.36 ¥22.43

-5.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$12.72 ¥85.1

1.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.30 ¥8.70

72.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.10 ¥7.34

50.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.95 ¥13.02

3.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$0.89 ¥5.94

86.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.88 ¥5.91

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.72 ¥4.82

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.35 ¥9.06

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.66 ¥4.43

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.83 ¥25.59

-0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$14.50 ¥96.9

-25.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.05 ¥7.02

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.94 ¥12.94

-17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.31 ¥2.08

96.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$29.43 ¥197

-0.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.45 ¥9.70

45.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$4.17 ¥27.89

117.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.26 ¥8.43

5.56%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

-0.43%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.9K ¥120.0K

4.25%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$64.6 ¥432

-10.48%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.99 ¥60.1

-10.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$13.47 ¥90.1

-22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$41.84 ¥280

57.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$36.00 ¥241

-50.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.78 ¥45.36

32.01%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$407 ¥2,724

246.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$20.3K ¥135.4K

37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$75.0 ¥501

-27.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$55.2 ¥369

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$114 ¥762

-34.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$120 ¥802

-11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$412 ¥2,753

156.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$240 ¥1,602

143.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$706 ¥4,719

252.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$437 ¥2,923

181.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,650 ¥17.7K

425.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,597 ¥10.7K

291.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,095 ¥7,320

56.29%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Dalian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Dalian

$240 26.3% 59% $345

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Dalian

$237 26% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Dalian

$164 18% 34.4% $42

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Dalian

$93 10.3% 12% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Dalian

$55 6.1% 33.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Dalian

$87 9.6% 14% $11

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Dalian

$34 3.8% 5.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $412 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $25.00 in Dalian. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $237, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

7,450,785

💱 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Dalian 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Dalian differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $910 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $412 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $407 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $910 in Dalian versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.