Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hefei Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hefei

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 13.3% more expensive than Hefei without rent, and 59.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 21.5% more expensive than Hefei without rent, and 69.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$3.42 ¥23.86

39.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$16.44 ¥115

118.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$4.06 ¥28.31

34.24%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$2.27 ¥15.87

50.66%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.46 ¥3.22

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.25 ¥1.76

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$0.81 ¥5.67

75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$2.05 ¥14.32

36.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$1.62 ¥11.33

29.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$1.60 ¥11.14

15.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$1.19 ¥8.28

-7.56%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$1.91 ¥13.36

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$8.15 ¥56.9

87.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$4.14 ¥28.88

-25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$10.02 ¥70.0

8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$1.89 ¥13.19

23.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$0.84 ¥5.90

110.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.20 ¥8.41

48.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$0.82 ¥5.74

79.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.61 ¥4.22

32.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$0.48 ¥3.35

141.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.52 ¥3.65

21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.51 ¥3.55

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$2.86 ¥20.00

-3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$7.23 ¥50.5

58.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.73 ¥5.11

15.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.64 ¥11.44

-1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.37 ¥2.55

8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$42.53 ¥297

-19.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.36 ¥9.46

68.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.28 ¥1.97

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$2.55 ¥17.77

226.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.15 ¥8.02

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$19.3K ¥134.6K

1.89%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$19.0K ¥132.7K

-3.91%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$42.59 ¥297

22.21%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$12.94 ¥90.3

-32.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$13.88 ¥96.9

-0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$82.0 ¥572

-43.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$12.22 ¥85.3

61.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$5.77 ¥40.26

43.50%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$259 ¥1,805

401.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$9,224 ¥64.4K

234.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$57.8 ¥404

3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$30.28 ¥211

25.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$60.2 ¥420

28.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$71.8 ¥501

38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$230 ¥1,607

310.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$181 ¥1,260

215.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$491 ¥3,426

401.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$364 ¥2,542

230.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$3,670 ¥25.6K

288.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$2,014 ¥14.1K

251.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$920 ¥6,419

77.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.37

-18.08%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Hefei: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa