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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Elk Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Elk

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Shanghai is 12.7% more expensive than Elk without rent, and 12.9% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Shanghai is 5.9% cheaper than Elk without rent, and 4.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
$8.11 zล‚ย 29.45
-41.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.92 ยฅ251
$41.20 zล‚ย 150
-12.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
$6.86 zล‚ย 24.91
-20.55%
Cappuccino
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
$2.11 zล‚ย 7.66
62.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
$2.09 zล‚ย 7.59
-72.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.85
-67.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
$4.02 zล‚ย 14.61
-64.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
$4.16 zล‚ย 15.10
-32.69%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.83
97.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
$1.29 zล‚ย 4.67
43.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
$1.82 zล‚ย 6.62
-39.56%
Eggs
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
$2.62 zล‚ย 9.53
-38.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.28 ยฅ107
$4.96 zล‚ย 18.02
208.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
$6.64 zล‚ย 24.11
-53.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
$13.16 zล‚ย 47.76
-17.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
$1.09 zล‚ย 3.96
113.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
$1.86 zล‚ย 6.75
-4.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
$1.97 zล‚ย 7.15
-9.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
$2.77 zล‚ย 10.05
-46.93%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
$0.98 zล‚ย 3.56
-17.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
$1.14 zล‚ย 4.13
1.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
$1.36 zล‚ย 4.94
-53.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
$0.52 zล‚ย 1.88
15.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
$5.37 zล‚ย 19.50
-48.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
$7.66 zล‚ย 27.81
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
$1.11 zล‚ย 4.02
-24.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
$1.38 zล‚ย 5.01
16.67%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
$1.06 zล‚ย 3.85
-62.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.13 ยฅ238
$32.90 zล‚ย 119
3.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
$2.23 zล‚ย 8.11
2.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
$0.52 zล‚ย 1.90
-26.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
$13.76 zล‚ย 49.96
-39.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
$1.74 zล‚ย 6.33
-33.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
$31.9K zล‚ย 115.9K
-38.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
$31.6K zล‚ย 114.7K
-42.20%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.1 ยฅ363
$308 zล‚ย 1,119
-83.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
$6.70 zล‚ย 24.32
31.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
$13.51 zล‚ย 49.04
2.66%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ยฅ324
$36.96 zล‚ย 134
25.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.78 ยฅ138
$19.31 zล‚ย 70.1
2.43%
Cinema Ticket
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
$6.64 zล‚ย 24.12
24.70%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
$319 zล‚ย 1,159
306.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
$5,500 zล‚ย 20.0K
461.72%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ยฅ417
$83.2 zล‚ย 302
-28.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.03 ยฅ265
$27.65 zล‚ย 100
37.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.5 ยฅ541
$86.9 zล‚ย 316
-10.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3 ยฅ693
$88.4 zล‚ย 321
12.35%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$944 ยฅ6,591
$541 zล‚ย 1,965
74.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 ยฅ3,981
$470 zล‚ย 1,706
21.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
$943 zล‚ย 3,423
160.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
$857 zล‚ย 3,112
40.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
$2,391 zล‚ย 8,680
495.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
$2,106 zล‚ย 7,647
236.08%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Elk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
$1,318 zล‚ย 4,786
23.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
7
-48.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Elk: 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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