Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Denver

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Denver

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $2,666 in Denver, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Denver $2,666

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $3,649 in Denver, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Denver $3,649

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $4,631 in Denver, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Denver $4,631

Shanghai is about 53% cheaper than Denver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Denver is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$16.94 A$24.37

-73.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$95.2 A$137

-68.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$10.72 A$15.43

-51.03%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$4.40 A$6.33

-25.45%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.80 A$4.03

-79.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$2.56 A$3.68

-85.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$7.83 A$11.27

-84.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$7.46 A$10.74

-69.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.34 A$1.92

37.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$2.99 A$4.31

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$2.53 A$3.65

-59.29%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$5.49 A$7.89

-69.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.75 A$14.02

73.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$10.54 A$15.16

-69.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$12.60 A$18.12

2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.81 A$5.48

-41.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$3.12 A$4.49

-46.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$3.04 A$4.37

-33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$5.08 A$7.31

-67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.84 A$4.09

-72.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.18 A$3.14

-57.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$2.40 A$3.45

-73.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.44 A$2.07

-58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$43.07 A$62.0

-91.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$14.42 A$20.76

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$4.92 A$7.08

-83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$5.47 A$7.86

-70.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.65 A$3.82

-76.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$89.0 A$128

-66.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.98 A$5.73

-46.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.63 A$2.34

-73.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$38.09 A$54.8

-76.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.44 A$2.07

-7.64%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-34.38%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$31.1K A$44.8K

-39.86%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$210 A$302

-72.41%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$27.33 A$39.33

-70.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$58.6 A$84.3

-82.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$53.3 A$76.7

23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$18.34 A$26.39

-2.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$16.27 A$23.41

-44.99%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$2,199 A$3,165

-35.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$22.6K A$32.6K

23.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$68.2 A$98.2

-20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$48.94 A$70.4

-24.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$104 A$150

-28.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$126 A$181

-16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$1,283 A$1,846

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$1,346 A$1,938

-56.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,924 A$2,769

29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$1,630 A$2,345

-24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$6,041 A$8,692

130.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$4,705 A$6,770

32.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.84

-42.47%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Denver: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Denver

$1.3K 50.5% 130% $762

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Denver

$375 14.1% 59.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Denver

$156 5.9% 28.3% $34

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Denver

$296 11.1% 179% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Denver

$86 3.2% 2.7% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Denver

$295 11.1% 287% $219

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Denver

$112 4.2% 209% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,283 in Denver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $95.0 in Denver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $375 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Denver

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

149

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Denver 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Denver

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 Denver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $2,666 in Denver – roughly 114% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $4,000 in Denver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 203% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $2,199 in Denver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Denver at $2,666. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Denver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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