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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 13.4% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 41.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 15.2% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 42.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥34.00

$2.81 ¥19.23

76.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$22.12 ¥151

63.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.09

$4.96 ¥33.94

9.27%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.35

$3.02 ¥20.69

17.88%

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

$0.53 ¥3.65

$0.46 ¥3.15

15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.30 ¥2.03

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.24

$0.92 ¥6.32

46.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.90

$1.62 ¥11.09

70.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.56

$1.97 ¥13.49

8.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.60

$2.10 ¥14.38

-12.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.20

$1.23 ¥8.44

-14.63%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.46

$1.58 ¥10.83

6.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥107

$19.09 ¥131

-18.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.16

$4.54 ¥31.05

-28.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.1

$14.28 ¥97.7

-24.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.24

$2.13 ¥14.54

11.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.59

$1.21 ¥8.30

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.29

$2.01 ¥13.72

-10.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.10

$1.48 ¥10.09

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.84

$0.94 ¥6.41

-9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.00

$1.04 ¥7.11

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.51 ¥3.51

21.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.16

$0.60 ¥4.13

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.20

$3.91 ¥26.75

-28.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.3

$8.98 ¥61.4

32.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.39

$0.98 ¥6.74

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.74

$1.39 ¥9.51

12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.43 ¥2.94

2.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$24.93 ¥171

40.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.35

$1.65 ¥11.28

35.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.37 ¥2.54

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.3

$6.11 ¥41.78

34.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.88

$1.12 ¥7.68

2.68%

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

$19.9K ¥136.0K

$20.6K ¥140.9K

-3.47%

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

$17.8K ¥122.0K

$19.5K ¥133.4K

-8.58%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$59.8 ¥409

-12.75%

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

$8.70 ¥59.5

$13.06 ¥89.3

-33.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.9

$11.50 ¥78.7

18.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥317

$40.73 ¥279

13.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$14.04 ¥96.0

45.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$6.49 ¥44.40

27.27%

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

$1,266 ¥8,662

$315 ¥2,151

302.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.5K

$15.8K ¥107.8K

102.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥409

$41.01 ¥281

45.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$28.29 ¥194

35.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥528

$69.8 ¥477

10.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥658

$62.0 ¥424

55.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,488

$487 ¥3,334

94.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,914

$265 ¥1,815

115.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$1,154 ¥7,895

114.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,251

$627 ¥4,286

92.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.4K

$8,782 ¥60.1K

60.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$3,561 ¥24.4K

102.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$1,391 ¥9,514

20.91%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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