Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,433 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $1,942 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942

Shanghai costs about 35% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$3.01 ¥20.12

51.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$30.30 ¥202

-0.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.08 ¥33.89

3.35%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.11 ¥20.74

5.47%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.53 ¥3.57

7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.36 ¥2.41

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.38 ¥9.21

-10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$2.61 ¥17.44

-13.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.80 ¥12.03

2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.88 ¥12.58

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$1.15 ¥7.67

-10.43%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$1.52 ¥10.13

9.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$16.43 ¥110

3.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$5.20 ¥34.73

-38.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$12.31 ¥82.2

4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$2.22 ¥14.84

0.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.24 ¥8.26

33.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$1.44 ¥9.61

40.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.72 ¥11.47

-3.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.99 ¥6.62

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.23 ¥8.20

-24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.79 ¥5.28

-20.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.65 ¥4.33

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.71 ¥24.80

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$10.53 ¥70.3

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.02 ¥6.83

-19.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.91 ¥12.76

-15.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.43 ¥2.86

41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$22.03 ¥147

33.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$1.82 ¥12.18

15.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.41 ¥2.71

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$7.01 ¥46.83

29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.38 ¥9.23

-3.62%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

-0.92%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

4.78%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$61.5 ¥411

-5.98%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$16.36 ¥109

-50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$14.69 ¥98.1

-28.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$70.1 ¥468

-6.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.38 ¥82.7

43.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$6.61 ¥44.15

35.40%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$1,506 ¥10.1K

-6.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$24.1K ¥160.8K

15.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$49.95 ¥334

8.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$41.83 ¥279

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$83.3 ¥556

-10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$71.3 ¥476

48.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$539 ¥3,597

95.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$278 ¥1,855

110.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,321 ¥8,820

88.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$466 ¥3,109

164.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$8,749 ¥58.4K

59.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$3,420 ¥22.8K

82.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,280 ¥8,546

33.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.38

-0.59%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1% 52.5% $307

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9% 1.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12% 9.1% $11

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10% 12.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9% 0.4% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10% 21.2% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3% 23.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $539 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $239 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Guangzhou (Canton) 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Guangzhou (Canton). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.