Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $637 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
Learn more

Jiaxing Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jiaxing

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Shanghai vs $637 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shanghai $1,222
Jiaxing $637

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Shanghai vs $1,073 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shanghai $1,971
Jiaxing $1,073

A family of three spends $2,720 per month in Shanghai vs $1,509 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shanghai $2,720
Jiaxing $1,509

Shanghai costs about 92% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Jiaxing are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 10% lower, Jiaxing 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.16

$3.02 ¥20.11

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$22.92 ¥153

31.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.09

$4.45 ¥29.67

14.83%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.74

$3.13 ¥20.85

8.95%

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

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.49 ¥3.25

18.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.10

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.72 ¥4.77

70.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.40

$2.18 ¥14.55

5.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$1.90 ¥12.69

-1.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.90

$2.01 ¥13.41

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.57 ¥3.83

71.93%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.32

$1.91 ¥12.76

-10.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$7.68 ¥51.2

121.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.45

$3.34 ¥22.25

-3.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.2

$7.57 ¥50.5

70.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$1.60 ¥10.69

34.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.50

$1.15 ¥7.67

50.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.53

$1.01 ¥6.73

100.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$0.64 ¥4.28

170.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$0.57 ¥3.82

45.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.80 ¥5.33

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$0.51 ¥3.42

31.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.59 ¥3.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$5.32 ¥35.45

-29.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.5

$11.91 ¥79.4

-7.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$0.73 ¥4.89

23.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.37 ¥9.12

16.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.23 ¥1.53

147.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$16.82 ¥112

76.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.27

$1.17 ¥7.81

82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.42 ¥2.82

11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.3

$7.45 ¥49.65

17.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.26 ¥8.40

6.35%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

-1.00%

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

$18.3K ¥121.8K

$19.0K ¥126.6K

-3.74%

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

$58.9 ¥393

$36.89 ¥246

59.66%

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

$7.90 ¥52.6

$11.70 ¥78.0

-32.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.7

$5.10 ¥33.97

107.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥432

$37.89 ¥253

71.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$7.48 ¥49.83

133.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.4

$5.28 ¥35.19

71.59%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$431 ¥2,871

268.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.2K

$13.0K ¥86.4K

117.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥364

$35.02 ¥233

55.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$21.81 ¥145

70.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥497

$63.5 ¥423

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥708

$45.49 ¥303

133.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,837

$282 ¥1,877

264.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,728

$177 ¥1,180

216.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.5K

$774 ¥5,157

238.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,939

$444 ¥2,957

168.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.1K

$3,887 ¥25.9K

244.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.5K

$2,072 ¥13.8K

214.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$736 ¥4,907

132.58%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Jiaxing

$177 27.8% 68.4% $382

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Jiaxing

$176 27.7% 25.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Jiaxing

$75 11.7% 39.2% $48

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Jiaxing

$86 13.5% 19.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Jiaxing

$48 7.6% 41.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Jiaxing

$54 8.4% 30.6% $24

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Jiaxing

$21 3.3% 42.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Shanghai versus $282 in Jiaxing. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shanghai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai versus $23 in Jiaxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $176 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,563,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Jiaxing 87 km

From you

Shanghai
Jiaxing

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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 92% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Shanghai and $956 in Jiaxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Jiaxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,587 per month in Shanghai and $431 in Jiaxing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiaxing – 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 Jiaxing. 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.