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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Foshan Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Foshan

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 10.1% more expensive than Foshan without rent, and 58.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 16.6% more expensive than Foshan without rent, and 68.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.77 ¥33.30
$3.11 ¥21.72
53.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.92 ¥251
$21.84 ¥152
64.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 ¥38.01
$4.86 ¥33.89
12.14%
Cappuccino
$3.42 ¥23.89
$3.07 ¥21.41
11.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥4.07
$0.50 ¥3.47
16.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ¥2.35
$0.28 ¥1.94
21.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.42 ¥9.91
$1.08 ¥7.55
31.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ¥19.56
$1.68 ¥11.75
66.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ¥14.59
$1.79 ¥12.51
16.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 ¥12.92
$2.03 ¥14.18
-8.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ¥7.66
$1.22 ¥8.55
-9.84%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥11.20
$1.82 ¥12.72
-12.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.28 ¥107
$13.10 ¥91.4
16.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.08 ¥21.53
$3.98 ¥27.77
-22.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ¥75.8
$13.50 ¥94.3
-19.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 ¥16.30
$1.83 ¥12.75
27.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.35
$1.20 ¥8.40
47.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ¥12.42
$1.81 ¥12.65
-1.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 ¥10.28
$1.40 ¥9.79
5.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 ¥5.64
$1.06 ¥7.40
-23.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ¥8.10
$1.05 ¥7.36
10.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 ¥4.37
$0.73 ¥5.12
-13.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ¥4.17
$0.61 ¥4.23
-1.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.77 ¥19.35
$3.55 ¥24.80
-21.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.49 ¥80.2
$10.19 ¥71.1
12.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥5.86
$0.93 ¥6.46
-9.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ¥11.27
$1.45 ¥10.11
11.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ¥2.79
$0.27 ¥1.86
48.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.13 ¥238
$10.96 ¥76.5
211.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ¥15.98
$1.70 ¥11.88
34.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.63
$0.37 ¥2.61
2.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.32 ¥58.1
$6.87 ¥47.96
21.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥8.00
$1.17 ¥8.20
-1.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ¥137.2K
$20.7K ¥144.6K
-5.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.3K ¥127.5K
$19.4K ¥135.6K
-5.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.1 ¥363
$67.0 ¥468
-22.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.79 ¥61.3
$9.88 ¥69.0
-11.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.87 ¥96.8
$13.20 ¥92.2
5.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ¥324
$68.4 ¥477
-32.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.78 ¥138
$19.91 ¥139
-0.65%
Cinema Ticket
$8.28 ¥57.8
$6.36 ¥44.42
30.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,297 ¥9,056
$416 ¥2,902
212.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.9K ¥215.7K
$18.6K ¥130.1K
65.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ¥417
$44.18 ¥308
35.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.03 ¥265
$28.85 ¥201
31.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.5 ¥541
$70.4 ¥492
9.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3 ¥693
$80.3 ¥561
23.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$944 ¥6,591
$282 ¥1,968
234.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 ¥3,981
$144 ¥1,007
295.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,460 ¥17.2K
$572 ¥3,996
329.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,204 ¥8,401
$320 ¥2,233
276.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.2K ¥99.5K
$4,174 ¥29.1K
241.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,080 ¥49.4K
$1,803 ¥12.6K
292.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Foshan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,632 ¥11.4K
$759 ¥5,301
114.89%
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 Foshan: January 11, 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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