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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 20% more expensive than Dongguan without rent, and 57.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 33.4% more expensive than Dongguan without rent, and 65.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$2.43 ¥16.59

104.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$20.91 ¥143

72.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$4.41 ¥30.12

22.90%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$2.58 ¥17.63

37.98%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$0.45 ¥3.05

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.27 ¥1.84

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$1.18 ¥8.08

14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$2.25 ¥15.35

22.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.69 ¥11.53

26.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.42 ¥9.67

29.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$0.98 ¥6.69

7.14%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$1.73 ¥11.85

-2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$12.65 ¥86.4

23.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$4.02 ¥27.48

-19.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$11.58 ¥79.1

-6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$1.79 ¥12.24

32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.42 ¥9.71

19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$1.75 ¥11.94

2.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$1.37 ¥9.34

8.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$0.96 ¥6.53

-11.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.40 ¥9.56

-16.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.62 ¥4.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.59 ¥4.01

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$2.78 ¥18.96

1.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$14.53 ¥99.2

-18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$0.93 ¥6.35

-15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$1.94 ¥13.22

-19.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.27 ¥1.84

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$20.96 ¥143

66.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.23 ¥8.39

82.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.34 ¥2.35

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$5.73 ¥39.12

43.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.16 ¥7.93

-0.86%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$21.2K ¥145.1K

-6.42%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$20.2K ¥137.7K

-11.59%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$62.2 ¥425

-16.04%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$8.23 ¥56.2

5.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$12.02 ¥82.1

12.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$61.6 ¥421

-24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$13.42 ¥91.6

52.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$7.04 ¥48.07

17.33%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$458 ¥3,125

176.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$20.4K ¥139.0K

56.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$30.00 ¥205

99.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$23.98 ¥164

59.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$60.2 ¥411

28.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$37.78 ¥258

154.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$350 ¥2,392

170.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$214 ¥1,463

167.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$670 ¥4,573

269.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$405 ¥2,763

198.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$6,538 ¥44.7K

115.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$3,611 ¥24.7K

99.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$776 ¥5,301

116.67%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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