Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Edenvale

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,390 in Edenvale, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Edenvale
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Edenvale Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Edenvale

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,390

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Edenvale

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Shanghai vs $1,390 in Edenvale, rent included.

Shanghai $1,222
Edenvale $1,390

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Shanghai vs $2,067 in Edenvale, rent included.

Shanghai $1,971
Edenvale $2,067

A family of three spends $2,720 per month in Shanghai vs $2,744 in Edenvale, rent included.

Shanghai $2,720
Edenvale $2,744

Shanghai is about 12% cheaper than Edenvale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Shanghai sits 10% below the global median, while Edenvale is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$9.28 R 155

-51.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$42.46 R 709

-28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$5.83 R 97.4

-12.35%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.31 R 38.59

47.62%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.08 R 17.97

-46.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.79 R 13.23

-55.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$2.58 R 43.11

-52.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$3.30 R 55.1

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.26 R 20.98

49.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.12 R 18.66

73.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.73 R 28.81

-43.35%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$2.45 R 40.91

-30.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$8.54 R 143

99.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$5.44 R 90.9

-40.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$7.19 R 120

79.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.80 R 30.09

19.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.91 R 31.90

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.77 R 29.59

14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.81 R 30.15

-4.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$1.43 R 23.79

-41.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.77 R 29.51

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$1.17 R 19.48

-42.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.23 R 20.58

-52.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$3.23 R 53.9

16.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$5.23 R 87.4

110.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.60 R 26.71

-43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.91 R 31.84

-16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$0.29 R 4.76

637.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.79 R 13.20

-40.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$14.23 R 238

-38.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.50 R 25.05

-10.67%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$35.3K R 589.9K

-45.52%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$34.1K R 569.6K

-46.43%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$148 R 2,477

-60.30%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$38.93 R 650

-79.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$37.28 R 622

-71.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$48.86 R 816

32.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$26.81 R 448

-34.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$7.00 R 117

29.43%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$241 R 4,030

557.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$7,787 R 130.0K

262.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$58.1 R 970

-6.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$45.37 R 757

-17.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$112 R 1,867

-33.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$106 R 1,768

0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$716 R 12.0K

43.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$606 R 10.1K

-7.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$1,061 R 17.7K

146.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$1,025 R 17.1K

16.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,045 R 17.4K

524.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

10.91

-69.20%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Edenvale: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Edenvale

$606 43.6% 8.4% $47

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Edenvale

$201 14.5% 15% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Edenvale

$145 10.4% 17.8% $22

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Edenvale

$147 10.5% 36.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Edenvale

$63 4.5% 24.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Edenvale

$225 16.2% 190% $147

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Edenvale

$4.2 * 0.3% 88.3% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Shanghai versus $716 in Edenvale. 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 in Shanghai versus $42 in Edenvale. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Shanghai vs $201 in Edenvale – so Edenvale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇿🇦 Edenvale

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

6 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

60,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Edenvale 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Edenvale

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 Edenvale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edenvale costs about 14% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Shanghai and $2,085 in Edenvale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Edenvale, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $1,390 in Edenvale. That makes Shanghai about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,587 per month in Shanghai and $241 in Edenvale. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,222 in Shanghai and $1,390 in Edenvale, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Edenvale has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Shanghai to $1,390 in Edenvale. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.