Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jieyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jieyang: $683 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 Jieyang
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Jieyang Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Jieyang

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jieyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $683 in Jieyang.

Shanghai $1,256
Jieyang $683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,078 in Jieyang.

Shanghai $1,999
Jieyang $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,474 in Jieyang.

Shanghai $2,743
Jieyang $1,474

Living in Shanghai is roughly 84% more expensive than in Jieyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Jieyang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$2.04 ¥13.62

118.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$12.95 ¥86.6

133.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$3.79 ¥25.32

34.30%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.44 ¥16.32

40.57%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.47 ¥3.13

31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.33 ¥2.19

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.91 ¥6.09

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$1.75 ¥11.67

26.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.47 ¥9.82

25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$2.38 ¥15.94

-18.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$0.99 ¥6.64

1.01%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$0.89 ¥5.94

92.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$11.86 ¥79.3

47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$2.43 ¥16.23

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.72 ¥78.3

10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.95 ¥13.07

14.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$0.69 ¥4.59

143.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.01 ¥6.78

93.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$2.04 ¥13.62

-15.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.97 ¥6.51

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.74 ¥11.62

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.46 ¥3.08

43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.51 ¥3.39

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$2.90 ¥19.41

27.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$11.06 ¥73.9

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.84 ¥5.62

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.75 ¥11.72

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.29 ¥1.94

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$18.26 ¥122

66.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$0.93 ¥6.23

121.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.14 ¥0.94

228.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.26 ¥48.53

21.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$0.93 ¥6.24

43.01%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$12.9K ¥86.4K

49.05%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$11.3K ¥75.9K

60.83%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$44.10 ¥295

29.50%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$8.85 ¥59.1

-8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$11.15 ¥74.6

-4.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$41.70 ¥279

54.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$14.70 ¥98.3

17.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$6.13 ¥41.01

47.63%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$490 ¥3,273

194.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$21.25 ¥142

151.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$29.23 ¥195

26.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$60.0 ¥401

28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$87.6 ¥585

18.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$301 ¥2,014

239.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$185 ¥1,238

220.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$621 ¥4,153

312.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$378 ¥2,526

221.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,444 ¥23.0K

292.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,936 ¥12.9K

222.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$1,101 ¥7,360

54.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.46

-2.89%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Jieyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Jieyang

$185 27.1% 68.8% $409

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Jieyang

$201 29.5% 15.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Jieyang

$89 13.1% 27.1% $33

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Jieyang

$68 10% 36.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Jieyang

$54 7.9% 34.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Jieyang

$64 9.4% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Jieyang

$21 3.1% 43.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $301 in Jieyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 54% 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 $13.00 in Jieyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $201 per month, with Jieyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Jieyang

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

5,877,025

💱 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 Jieyang 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Jieyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jieyang wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jieyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $301 in Jieyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,256 per month in Shanghai versus $683 in Jieyang – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jieyang runs roughly 66% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $683 in Jieyang versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jieyang but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Jieyang 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 Jieyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.