Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Heze

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $685 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Heze
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Heze Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Heze

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $685 in Heze, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Heze $685

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,068 in Heze, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Heze $1,068

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $1,450 in Heze, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Heze $1,450

Shanghai costs about 83% more than Heze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Heze are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Heze 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$2.59 ¥17.29

71.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$11.12 ¥74.3

172.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.03 ¥33.63

1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.45 ¥16.36

40.00%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.44 ¥2.93

40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.23 ¥1.54

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.94 ¥6.30

30.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$1.97 ¥13.18

12.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.46 ¥9.78

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.46 ¥9.76

33.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$1.24 ¥8.26

-19.35%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.11 ¥7.39

54.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$11.88 ¥79.4

47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$3.29 ¥22.02

-1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.41 ¥76.3

13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.39 ¥9.30

61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$1.05 ¥7.05

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.42 ¥9.51

37.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$1.09 ¥7.27

58.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.61 ¥4.10

24.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.69 ¥4.62

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.53 ¥3.54

24.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.62 ¥4.14

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.72 ¥24.86

-0.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$10.20 ¥68.2

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.66 ¥4.40

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.33 ¥8.89

22.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.29 ¥1.92

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$17.90 ¥120

69.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.03 ¥6.91

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.25 ¥1.66

84.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$4.55 ¥30.39

94.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$0.99 ¥6.61

34.34%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.5K ¥130.1K

-1.03%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

23.21%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$71.7 ¥479

-20.36%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$6.70 ¥44.78

20.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$5.04 ¥33.72

112.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$41.70 ¥279

54.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$14.68 ¥98.1

17.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$5.30 ¥35.44

70.75%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$219 ¥1,462

559.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$20.2K ¥134.8K

39.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$33.10 ¥221

61.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$42.31 ¥283

-12.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$59.5 ¥398

29.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$51.4 ¥344

101.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$302 ¥2,019

238.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$179 ¥1,198

231.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$623 ¥4,162

311.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$373 ¥2,494

225.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,494 ¥23.4K

287.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,913 ¥12.8K

226.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$588 ¥3,932

188.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.13

7.35%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Heze: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Heze

$179 26.2% 69.8% $415

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Heze

$188 27.5% 20.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Heze

$84 12.2% 31.3% $38

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Heze

$76 11.2% 28.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Heze

$52 7.6% 36.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Heze

$83 12.2% 10% $7.6

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Heze

$21 3.1% 42.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $302 in Heze. 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 189% 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 $11.00 in Heze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $188 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Heze

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

8,795,939

💱 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 Heze 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Heze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai, $685 in Heze – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Shanghai and $1,028 in Heze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $11.00 in Heze. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,256 in Shanghai and $685 in Heze. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heze – 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 Heze. 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.