Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Haskovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Haskovo: $858 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Haskovo
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Haskovo Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Haskovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Haskovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $858 in Haskovo.

Shanghai $1,222
Haskovo $858

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,400 in Haskovo.

Shanghai $1,971
Haskovo $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,942 in Haskovo.

Shanghai $2,720
Haskovo $1,942

Living in Shanghai is roughly 43% more expensive than in Haskovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Haskovo 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$9.53 BGN 16.67

-52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$45.57 BGN 79.7

-33.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$9.80 BGN 17.15

-47.86%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.02 BGN 3.54

68.81%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.23 BGN 2.15

-52.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-66.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.27 BGN 2.23

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$4.45 BGN 7.79

-48.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.58 BGN 2.77

18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$0.69 BGN 1.20

181.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.65 BGN 2.88

-40.61%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$3.21 BGN 5.62

-47.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$11.80 BGN 20.65

44.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$7.37 BGN 12.89

-56.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$8.27 BGN 14.48

56.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.55 BGN 2.71

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.48 BGN 2.59

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.85 BGN 3.24

-6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.77 BGN 1.34

7.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.90 BGN 1.58

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.79 BGN 1.39

-15.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.69 BGN 1.20

-14.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$4.14 BGN 7.25

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$7.76 BGN 13.57

42.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.78 BGN 1.37

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$23.32 BGN 40.82

27.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.17 BGN 2.04

82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.72 BGN 1.25

-34.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$13.30 BGN 23.27

-34.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.61 BGN 2.82

-16.77%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$30.4K BGN 53.2K

-36.69%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

-20.74%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$92.6 BGN 162

-36.42%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$13.08 BGN 22.89

-39.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$9.46 BGN 16.55

12.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$54.1 BGN 94.7

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$28.93 BGN 50.6

-39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$8.12 BGN 14.22

11.58%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$798 BGN 1,396

98.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$2,289 BGN 4,006

1133.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$46.12 BGN 80.7

18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$40.43 BGN 70.8

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$77.0 BGN 135

-3.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$83.2 BGN 146

27.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$230 BGN 403

345.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$164 BGN 287

240.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$369 BGN 645

610.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$299 BGN 523

298.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$1,200 BGN 2,099

1014.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$966 BGN 1,691

575.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,098 BGN 1,921

55.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.89

16.26%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Haskovo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Haskovo

$164 19.2% 70.6% $395

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Haskovo

$212 24.7% 10.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Haskovo

$111 13% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Haskovo

$154 18% 44.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Haskovo

$70 8.2% 15.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Haskovo

$115 13.4% 48.8% $38

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Haskovo

$31 3.6% 15.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $230 in Haskovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $46 in Haskovo. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $212, with Haskovo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇧🇬 Haskovo

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

6 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

76,587

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Haskovo 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Haskovo

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 Haskovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haskovo wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Haskovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Shanghai, 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 $230 in Haskovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30 versus $46 in Haskovo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Haskovo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Haskovo wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.