Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Guizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $603 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
Learn more

Guizhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Guizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $603 in Guizhou.

Shanghai $1,222
Guizhou $603

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $972 in Guizhou.

Shanghai $1,971
Guizhou $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,340 in Guizhou.

Shanghai $2,720
Guizhou $1,340

Living in Shanghai is roughly 103% more expensive than in Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Guizhou 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$2.68 ¥17.82

69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$21.33 ¥142

41.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$5.59 ¥37.20

-8.59%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$2.80 ¥18.63

21.79%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.10

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.25 ¥1.65

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$0.77 ¥5.11

59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$1.83 ¥12.19

26.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.84 ¥12.26

2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.79 ¥11.92

8.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.80 ¥5.35

22.50%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.91 ¥12.70

-10.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$7.69 ¥51.2

121.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$4.77 ¥31.78

-32.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$10.93 ¥72.8

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$2.09 ¥13.93

2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.61 ¥10.72

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.52 ¥10.14

33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.43 ¥9.51

20.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.68 ¥4.54

22.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.78 ¥5.19

17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.36 ¥2.37

86.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.54 ¥3.59

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$2.95 ¥19.60

27.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$7.58 ¥50.5

45.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.80 ¥5.30

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.18 ¥7.86

35.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.38 ¥2.54

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$27.31 ¥182

8.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.48 ¥9.87

44.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.29 ¥1.91

62.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$5.13 ¥34.13

70.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.26 ¥8.38

6.35%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

4.38%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$16.3K ¥108.3K

12.36%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$29.56 ¥197

99.26%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$6.40 ¥42.62

23.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$6.06 ¥40.34

74.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$22.89 ¥152

183.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$11.89 ¥79.1

46.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$7.65 ¥50.9

18.43%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$251 ¥1,671

532.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$11.4K ¥75.6K

148.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$33.71 ¥224

62.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$22.38 ¥149

66.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$73.7 ¥490

1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$42.86 ¥285

147.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$266 ¥1,768

286.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$138 ¥917

305.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$387 ¥2,575

576.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$244 ¥1,625

387.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$1,815 ¥12.1K

636.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,090 ¥7,254

498.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$698 ¥4,643

145.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.4

-1.18%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guizhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Guizhou

$138 22.9% 75.4% $421

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Guizhou

$193 32.1% 18.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Guizhou

$78 12.9% 36.7% $45

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Guizhou

$82 13.6% 23.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Guizhou

$38 6.3% 54% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Guizhou

$42 7% 45.7% $35

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 12.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $266 in Guizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $21 in Guizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $193 per month, with Guizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Shanghai Guizhou 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Shanghai
Guizhou

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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guizhou is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $266 in Guizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Guizhou runs roughly 8% less than in Shanghai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $251 in Guizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $603 in Guizhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guizhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Guizhou 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.

Expats usually find Guizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.