Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dongguan Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dongguan

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 19.5% more expensive than Dongguan without rent, and 56.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 36.5% more expensive than Dongguan without rent, and 66% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.35

$2.39 ¥16.68

99.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$20.62 ¥144

74.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.07

$4.27 ¥29.85

27.63%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.93

$2.67 ¥18.64

28.09%

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

$0.58 ¥4.08

$0.41 ¥2.86

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥2.05

17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.92

$1.12 ¥7.85

26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.59

$2.17 ¥15.19

29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.61

$1.71 ¥11.95

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.94

$1.42 ¥9.92

30.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.67

$0.96 ¥6.72

14.58%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.21

$1.79 ¥12.52

-10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$12.88 ¥90.1

18.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.56

$4.01 ¥28.06

-23.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.9

$11.30 ¥79.0

-3.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.32

$1.88 ¥13.12

23.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.37

$1.47 ¥10.27

20.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.43

$1.72 ¥12.05

3.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.29

$1.36 ¥9.54

8.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.65

$1.00 ¥7.02

-19.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.11

$1.46 ¥10.23

-20.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.38

$0.62 ¥4.30

1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.56 ¥3.90

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.38

$2.84 ¥19.83

-2.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.3

$13.50 ¥94.3

-14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.87

$0.94 ¥6.59

-10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.29

$1.92 ¥13.45

-16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.29 ¥2.05

37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥239

$20.69 ¥145

64.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥16.00

$1.22 ¥8.51

87.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.64

$0.34 ¥2.39

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.2

$5.45 ¥38.07

52.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.01

$1.13 ¥7.93

1.77%

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

$19.7K ¥137.4K

$20.7K ¥144.6K

-4.99%

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

$18.3K ¥127.7K

$20.8K ¥145.5K

-12.28%

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

$52.1 ¥364

$62.6 ¥437

-16.79%

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

$8.79 ¥61.4

$8.13 ¥56.8

8.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.9

$12.22 ¥85.4

13.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥325

$60.8 ¥425

-23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$13.33 ¥93.2

48.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.9

$6.75 ¥47.20

22.67%

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

$1,297 ¥9,069

$460 ¥3,215

182.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥216.0K

$20.7K ¥144.5K

49.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥418

$30.00 ¥210

99.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥266

$24.25 ¥170

56.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$62.2 ¥435

24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥694

$38.21 ¥267

159.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,600

$352 ¥2,461

168.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,986

$215 ¥1,502

165.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$672 ¥4,700

265.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,413

$413 ¥2,889

191.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.6K

$6,652 ¥46.5K

114.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.5K

$3,612 ¥25.2K

96.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$821 ¥5,742

98.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.04

-11.39%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: January 13, 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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