Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $2,121 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $2,121 in Gizo.

Shanghai $1,250
Gizo $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $3,041 in Gizo.

Shanghai $2,019
Gizo $3,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $3,960 in Gizo.

Shanghai $2,789
Gizo $3,960

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 41% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Gizo is 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$3.15 SBD 25.40

44.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$56.5 SBD 456

-47.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$15.76 SBD 127

-67.64%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$2.76 SBD 22.25

23.91%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.26 SBD 10.17

-51.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$1.25 SBD 10.10

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$2.55 SBD 20.61

-52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$2.53 SBD 20.43

-9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$3.29 SBD 26.57

-43.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$1.32 SBD 10.65

52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$1.40 SBD 11.32

-27.14%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$7.24 SBD 58.5

-76.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$8.64 SBD 69.8

98.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$6.33 SBD 51.1

-47.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$8.74 SBD 70.6

46.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-68.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$6.01 SBD 48.50

-71.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$6.33 SBD 51.2

-69.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.04 SBD 24.56

-44.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.03 SBD 24.49

-74.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.41 SBD 19.50

-61.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.43 SBD 19.61

-74.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.33 SBD 10.77

-56.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$4.27 SBD 34.49

-10.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$12.57 SBD 102

-12.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.89 SBD 15.24

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.19 SBD 17.67

-26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.39 SBD 3.12

51.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$31.04 SBD 251

-2.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$1.23 SBD 9.91

67.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$2.45 SBD 19.76

-80.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$12.41 SBD 100

-29.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.77 SBD 14.25

-28.25%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$20.6K SBD 166.3K

-4.85%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$21.5K SBD 173.4K

-13.47%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$756 SBD 6,107

-92.43%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$13.69 SBD 111

-41.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$125 SBD 1,008

-91.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$18.41 SBD 149

251.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$6.05 SBD 48.87

191.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$4.39 SBD 35.43

101.37%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$121 SBD 981

1083.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

2138.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$24.88 SBD 201

119.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$92.0 SBD 743

-60.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$100 SBD 809

-24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$90.5 SBD 731

14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$608 SBD 4,908

70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$594 SBD 4,799

-0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$618 SBD 4,991

302.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$1,234 SBD 9,964

0.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$86.8K SBD 700.6K

-84.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$395 SBD 3,192

333.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

16.33

-79.42%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Gizo

$594 27.2% 1% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Gizo

$354 16.2% 49.5% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Gizo

$138 6.3% 13.7% $17

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Gizo

$133 6.1% 24.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 67% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Gizo

$895 40.9% 1081% $819

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 24.4% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $608 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 334% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $56.0 in Gizo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $354 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

7,177

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Gizo 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Gizo

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 Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 334% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $608 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $56.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $2,121 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.