Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $513 in Jiangmen.

Shanghai $1,244
Jiangmen $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $998 in Jiangmen.

Shanghai $1,999
Jiangmen $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,483 in Jiangmen.

Shanghai $2,755
Jiangmen $1,483

Living in Shanghai is roughly 142% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Jiangmen 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.29 ¥21.97

38.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$30.07 ¥201

0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.31 ¥35.49

-1.13%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.30 ¥15.38

42.61%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.87

32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.31 ¥2.08

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.91 ¥6.09

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.46 ¥9.79

55.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.60 ¥10.71

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.63 ¥10.89

20.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.07 ¥7.12

-3.74%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.77 ¥11.86

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$21.48 ¥144

-21.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$2.28 ¥15.27

39.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$13.38 ¥89.5

-3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.16 ¥14.47

3.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$0.89 ¥5.94

86.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.17 ¥7.80

72.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.43 ¥9.57

16.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.64 ¥4.28

20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.93 ¥6.25

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.29 ¥1.93

117.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.55 ¥3.65

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.06 ¥20.45

24.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$12.19 ¥81.5

-10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.69 ¥4.63

18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.76 ¥11.74

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.44 ¥2.93

38.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.41 ¥9.41

49.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.39 ¥2.60

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.09 ¥47.43

27.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.34 ¥8.97

-0.75%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

-3.80%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

13.18%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$49.45 ¥331

16.91%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.60 ¥57.5

-5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$12.27 ¥82.1

-14.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$30.28 ¥202

116.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$4.51 ¥30.19

295.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.49 ¥43.40

37.90%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$251 ¥1,676

463.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$7,533 ¥50.4K

269.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$30.21 ¥202

78.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$39.86 ¥266

-6.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$72.5 ¥485

2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$44.20 ¥296

138.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$444 ¥2,968

459.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$273 ¥1,826

351.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

128.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,223 ¥8,178

411.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$592 ¥3,957

189.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Jiangmen

$230 44.9% 1.8% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 31.1% $38

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Jiangmen

$80 15.6% 24.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 48.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Jiangmen

$70 13.7% 7.9% $6.1

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1% 85.9% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Shanghai pays 189% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $30.00 in Jiangmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $230, with Jiangmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,448,871

💱 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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Between locations

Shanghai Jiangmen 1,270 km ≈ 2 h 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)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Jiangmen differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $513 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 189% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $251 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $513 in Jiangmen versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.