Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hangzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hangzhou

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 5.4% more expensive than Hangzhou without rent, and 33.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 9.8% more expensive than Hangzhou without rent, and 33.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥34.00

$3.42 ¥23.42

45.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$26.99 ¥185

34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.09

$4.73 ¥32.33

14.59%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.35

$3.40 ¥23.28

4.71%

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

$0.53 ¥3.65

$0.52 ¥3.59

1.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.29 ¥2.00

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.24

$1.14 ¥7.78

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.90

$1.68 ¥11.50

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.56

$1.95 ¥13.35

9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.60

$1.96 ¥13.43

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.20

$1.00 ¥6.85

5.00%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.46

$1.72 ¥11.76

-2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥107

$17.31 ¥118

-9.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.16

$2.62 ¥17.89

23.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.1

$9.59 ¥65.6

12.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.24

$2.05 ¥14.03

15.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.59

$1.80 ¥12.29

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.29

$1.64 ¥11.22

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.10

$1.21 ¥8.31

22.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.84

$0.74 ¥5.04

14.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.00

$0.94 ¥6.40

24.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.63 ¥4.34

-1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.16

$0.53 ¥3.60

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.20

$4.13 ¥28.23

-31.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.3

$12.95 ¥88.6

-8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.39

$0.69 ¥4.70

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.74

$1.72 ¥11.76

-8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.48 ¥3.27

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$15.19 ¥104

129.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.35

$1.78 ¥12.15

25.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.42 ¥2.89

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.3

$6.45 ¥44.09

27.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.88

$1.17 ¥7.97

-1.71%

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

$19.9K ¥136.0K

$19.8K ¥135.5K

0.38%

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

$17.8K ¥122.0K

$17.0K ¥116.6K

4.63%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$45.21 ¥309

15.46%

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

$8.70 ¥59.5

$11.43 ¥78.2

-23.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.9

$18.49 ¥126

-26.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥317

$59.5 ¥407

-22.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$16.30 ¥112

25.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$6.17 ¥42.21

33.87%

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

$1,266 ¥8,662

$444 ¥3,040

184.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.5K

$28.6K ¥195.7K

11.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥409

$57.0 ¥390

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$35.11 ¥240

8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥528

$72.8 ¥498

6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥658

$93.8 ¥641

2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,488

$514 ¥3,513

84.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,914

$310 ¥2,120

84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$1,148 ¥7,851

115.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,251

$661 ¥4,521

82.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.4K

$7,931 ¥54.2K

77.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$3,931 ¥26.9K

83.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$1,378 ¥9,428

22.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.83

-6.53%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: April 11, 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

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova