Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton) Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton)

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 11.4% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 34.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 13.9% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 41.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.35

$2.74 ¥19.13

74.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$22.69 ¥159

58.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.07

$4.97 ¥34.76

9.66%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.93

$3.05 ¥21.29

12.13%

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

$0.58 ¥4.08

$0.46 ¥3.21

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.36

$0.32 ¥2.25

6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.92

$0.95 ¥6.67

49.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.59

$1.72 ¥12.01

62.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.61

$1.89 ¥13.24

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.94

$2.08 ¥14.54

-11.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.67

$1.24 ¥8.67

-11.29%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.21

$1.56 ¥10.93

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$18.98 ¥133

-19.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.56

$4.65 ¥32.49

-33.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.9

$14.06 ¥98.3

-22.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.32

$2.10 ¥14.69

10.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.37

$1.26 ¥8.82

40.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.43

$1.94 ¥13.56

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.29

$1.41 ¥9.87

4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.65

$0.93 ¥6.51

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.11

$1.05 ¥7.35

10.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.38

$0.56 ¥3.94

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.61 ¥4.27

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.38

$3.89 ¥27.16

-28.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.3

$10.05 ¥70.3

14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.87

$1.00 ¥6.96

-16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.29

$1.40 ¥9.79

15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.44 ¥3.08

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥239

$24.98 ¥175

36.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥16.00

$1.69 ¥11.79

35.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.64

$0.34 ¥2.41

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.2

$6.28 ¥43.89

32.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.01

$1.16 ¥8.12

-0.86%

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

$19.7K ¥137.4K

$20.6K ¥143.8K

-4.44%

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

$18.3K ¥127.7K

$19.3K ¥134.7K

-5.24%

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

$52.1 ¥364

$61.6 ¥431

-15.50%

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

$8.79 ¥61.4

$12.71 ¥88.8

-30.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.9

$11.63 ¥81.3

19.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥325

$41.45 ¥290

11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$13.73 ¥96.0

44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.9

$6.32 ¥44.18

31.01%

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

$1,297 ¥9,069

$312 ¥2,181

315.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥216.0K

$15.7K ¥109.9K

96.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥418

$41.77 ¥292

43.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥266

$28.10 ¥196

35.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$69.0 ¥482

12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥694

$61.4 ¥429

61.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,600

$482 ¥3,368

95.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,986

$270 ¥1,890

110.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$1,159 ¥8,100

112.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,413

$627 ¥4,385

91.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.6K

$8,979 ¥62.8K

58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.5K

$3,425 ¥23.9K

106.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,427 ¥9,973

14.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.08

-12.25%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): 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

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa