Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Heyuan $1,776

Shanghai costs about 59% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Shanghai and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.70

$3.06 ¥20.39

45.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥202

$29.30 ¥195

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥33.93

$5.34 ¥35.60

-4.68%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.90

$3.06 ¥20.42

12.09%

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

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.58 ¥3.86

6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$0.34 ¥2.24

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.36 ¥9.09

-9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.77

$2.75 ¥18.33

-19.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.34

$1.79 ¥11.93

3.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥12.99

$1.91 ¥12.72

2.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.65

$1.11 ¥7.37

-9.91%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.41

$1.52 ¥10.17

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$16.29 ¥109

7.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.61

$5.14 ¥34.29

-36.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.6

$12.23 ¥81.6

6.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.95

$2.29 ¥15.25

-2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.22 ¥8.16

37.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$1.38 ¥9.20

41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.57

$1.78 ¥11.86

-2.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.09

$0.96 ¥6.39

-20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.18 ¥7.90

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.83 ¥5.54

-20.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.66 ¥4.43

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.59

$3.90 ¥25.98

-5.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥72.9

$10.64 ¥70.9

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.83

$1.02 ¥6.77

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.90 ¥12.68

-14.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.31 ¥2.09

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$17.71 ¥118

71.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$1.84 ¥12.29

11.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.43 ¥2.88

6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.0

$7.19 ¥47.93

22.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.33 ¥8.86

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

$19.3K ¥128.4K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

0.51%

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

$18.2K ¥121.7K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

2.84%

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

$57.1 ¥381

$61.4 ¥409

-6.93%

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

$8.07 ¥53.8

$16.39 ¥109

-50.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.3

$14.49 ¥96.6

-26.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥431

$41.17 ¥275

56.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥115

$15.11 ¥101

14.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.3

$6.54 ¥43.61

38.38%

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

$1,441 ¥9,614

$422 ¥2,816

241.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.0K

$24.4K ¥163.0K

15.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥357

$49.24 ¥328

8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥247

$41.47 ¥277

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$81.1 ¥541

-5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥693

$69.9 ¥466

48.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,825

$303 ¥2,021

237.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,961

$182 ¥1,215

225.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$623 ¥4,155

311.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,088

$375 ¥2,501

223.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.2K

$3,487 ¥23.3K

287.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.7K

$1,937 ¥12.9K

222.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.3K

$1,362 ¥9,082

24.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.38

-0.59%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Heyuan

$182 23% 69.3% $412

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 11% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 34.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 21.6% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 38.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $303 in Heyuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Shanghai vs $239 in Heyuan – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,953,019

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Heyuan 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Shanghai and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Heyuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.