Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Dongying

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongying: $709 a month against $1,246 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Dongying
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Dongying Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,246

/mo nomad

Dongying

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Dongying

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,246 in Shanghai versus $709 in Dongying.

Shanghai $1,246
Dongying $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Shanghai versus $1,128 in Dongying.

Shanghai $1,991
Dongying $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,737 in Shanghai versus $1,547 in Dongying.

Shanghai $2,737
Dongying $1,547

Living in Shanghai is roughly 76% more expensive than in Dongying, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Dongying 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 ¥29.59

$2.73 ¥18.17

62.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ¥201

$21.79 ¥145

38.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.09

$4.85 ¥32.26

8.66%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.85

$3.00 ¥19.97

9.33%

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

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.47 ¥3.12

27.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.44

$0.27 ¥1.79

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$0.90 ¥5.97

45.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ¥16.74

$2.05 ¥13.63

22.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$1.79 ¥11.92

5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 ¥13.42

$1.57 ¥10.44

28.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$0.96 ¥6.40

8.33%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.04

$1.59 ¥10.57

13.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 ¥119

$12.89 ¥85.8

38.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.36

$3.12 ¥20.76

7.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 ¥88.0

$10.05 ¥66.9

31.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.00

$1.81 ¥12.05

24.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.69

$1.22 ¥8.09

44.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.50

$1.53 ¥10.22

32.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.70

$1.09 ¥7.27

61.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.70 ¥4.68

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.89 ¥5.91

4.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.55 ¥3.68

21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.55 ¥3.67

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 ¥27.22

$3.12 ¥20.74

31.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ¥73.5

$10.54 ¥70.2

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.75 ¥5.02

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.66 ¥11.06

-1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.29 ¥1.93

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥200

$16.81 ¥112

78.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.46

$1.43 ¥9.50

51.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.36 ¥2.37

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 ¥61.6

$6.70 ¥44.62

38.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.16 ¥7.74

14.66%

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

$19.8K ¥131.9K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

0.74%

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

$18.4K ¥122.7K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

7.62%

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

$58.1 ¥386

$45.40 ¥302

27.86%

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

$8.00 ¥53.2

$9.92 ¥66.0

-19.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.68 ¥71.1

$11.93 ¥79.4

-10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥437

$41.02 ¥273

60.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 ¥117

$13.78 ¥91.7

27.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 ¥58.4

$5.79 ¥38.58

51.64%

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

$1,477 ¥9,835

$333 ¥2,217

343.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.6K ¥296.9K

$16.6K ¥110.3K

169.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$43.38 ¥289

25.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.73 ¥245

$30.64 ¥204

19.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥502

$71.4 ¥475

5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$70.6 ¥470

50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 ¥7,032

$275 ¥1,834

283.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 ¥3,845

$190 ¥1,266

203.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 ¥17.7K

$583 ¥3,880

356.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 ¥7,956

$363 ¥2,420

228.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥91.9K

$2,976 ¥19.8K

363.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,434 ¥42.8K

$2,056 ¥13.7K

212.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.89

-15.17%

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

Last update for Shanghai: November 3, 2026

Last update for Dongying: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$578 46.4%

Dongying

$190 26.8% 67.1% $387

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$243 19.5%

Dongying

$197 27.8% 18.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 9.9%

Dongying

$97 13.7% 20.8% $25

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Dongying

$84 11.8% 21% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.7%

Dongying

$53 7.4% 36.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.2%

Dongying

$67 9.5% 12.4% $9.5

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Dongying

$21 3% 41.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Shanghai and $275 in Dongying. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $22 in Dongying for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $197 per month, with Dongying cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Dongying

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,035,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Dongying 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Dongying: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongying is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,869 in Shanghai and $1,064 in Dongying to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,056 in Shanghai versus $275 in Dongying. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,477 in Shanghai versus $333 in Dongying. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Dongying versus $1,246 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dongying but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Dongying 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 Dongying gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.