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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 9.2% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 43.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 15.6% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 38.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$2.86 ¥19.78

67.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$21.99 ¥152

63.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$4.96 ¥34.31

8.87%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$3.12 ¥21.59

14.74%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$0.50 ¥3.44

18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.30 ¥2.04

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$0.93 ¥6.40

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$1.62 ¥11.20

71.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$1.92 ¥13.28

10.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$2.01 ¥13.88

-10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$1.31 ¥9.04

-19.08%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$1.56 ¥10.75

4.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$18.88 ¥130

-17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$4.59 ¥31.72

-32.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$13.90 ¥96.0

-20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$2.04 ¥14.10

10.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.20 ¥8.32

44.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$2.00 ¥13.85

-9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$1.43 ¥9.90

1.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$0.94 ¥6.48

-15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$1.08 ¥7.47

4.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.52 ¥3.61

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.65 ¥4.46

-13.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$3.78 ¥26.12

-28.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$8.79 ¥60.8

24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$1.01 ¥6.97

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$1.44 ¥9.94

11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.41 ¥2.81

4.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$25.53 ¥176

34.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.62 ¥11.21

33.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$0.34 ¥2.38

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$6.16 ¥42.58

34.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.16 ¥8.02

-5.17%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$20.6K ¥142.0K

-4.92%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$19.8K ¥137.1K

-9.80%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$61.5 ¥425

-13.62%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$12.99 ¥89.8

-33.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$11.40 ¥78.7

18.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$42.24 ¥292

9.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$13.75 ¥95.0

43.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$6.22 ¥42.99

35.37%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$314 ¥2,168

303.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$16.0K ¥110.4K

95.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$40.79 ¥282

42.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$28.68 ¥198

30.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$69.2 ¥478

12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$60.8 ¥420

58.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$493 ¥3,405

92.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$273 ¥1,890

108.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$1,160 ¥8,018

117.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$623 ¥4,306

93.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$9,036 ¥62.4K

53.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$3,539 ¥24.5K

104.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$1,411 ¥9,751

19.58%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): March 3, 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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