Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Harbin Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Harbin

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 13.7% cheaper than Harbin without rent, and 33% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 15% more expensive than Harbin without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$2.87 ¥19.60

73.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$20.82 ¥142

73.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$5.17 ¥35.31

4.84%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$2.74 ¥18.73

29.93%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$0.41 ¥2.81

29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.29 ¥2.00

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$0.94 ¥6.43

43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$1.73 ¥11.80

59.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.86 ¥12.71

14.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.81 ¥12.36

1.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$0.94 ¥6.44

11.70%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$1.24 ¥8.48

35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$10.46 ¥71.4

48.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$3.56 ¥24.34

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$10.78 ¥73.6

0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$2.42 ¥16.52

-2.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.78 ¥12.16

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$2.40 ¥16.38

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$1.08 ¥7.40

37.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$0.77 ¥5.25

10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.71 ¥11.70

-31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.34 ¥2.31

82.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.80 ¥5.48

-23.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$2.34 ¥16.00

20.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$17.77 ¥121

-33.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$0.55 ¥3.74

43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$2.41 ¥16.45

-34.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.29 ¥1.98

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$10.52 ¥71.9

232.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.21 ¥8.28

85.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.36 ¥2.43

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$9.56 ¥65.3

-13.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.16 ¥7.92

-0.86%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$13.9K ¥94.8K

43.18%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$12.4K ¥84.9K

43.40%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$56.1 ¥383

-7.00%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$13.50 ¥92.2

-35.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$16.03 ¥109

-15.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$93.4 ¥638

-50.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$27.49 ¥188

-25.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$5.67 ¥38.74

45.68%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$231 ¥1,576

448.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$10.6K ¥72.7K

200.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$69.4 ¥474

-13.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$28.68 ¥196

33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$78.1 ¥533

-1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$150 ¥1,027

-36.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$306 ¥2,091

209.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$224 ¥1,532

155.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$1,308 ¥8,934

89.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$493 ¥3,369

144.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$3,097 ¥21.2K

354.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$1,301 ¥8,886

454.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$879 ¥6,001

91.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

5.79

-38.17%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Harbin: April 13, 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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