Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jinzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinzhou: $752 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Jinzhou
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Jinzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Jinzhou

🇨🇳 China

$752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jinzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $752 in Jinzhou.

Shanghai $1,222
Jinzhou $752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,172 in Jinzhou.

Shanghai $1,971
Jinzhou $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,591 in Jinzhou.

Shanghai $2,720
Jinzhou $1,591

Living in Shanghai is roughly 62% more expensive than in Jinzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Jinzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$3.01 ¥19.97

50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$22.63 ¥150

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$5.01 ¥33.28

2.00%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.79 ¥18.57

22.22%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.51 ¥3.41

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.90

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.10 ¥7.33

11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$2.15 ¥14.30

7.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.76 ¥11.67

6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.65 ¥10.98

17.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.95 ¥6.29

3.16%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.58 ¥10.52

7.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.15 ¥87.4

29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$3.46 ¥22.99

-6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$11.20 ¥74.4

15.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.84 ¥12.20

16.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.33 ¥8.84

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.69 ¥11.25

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.31 ¥8.68

32.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.74 ¥4.94

12.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.91 ¥6.05

1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.68 ¥4.55

-1.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.54 ¥3.59

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$3.75 ¥24.92

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$12.08 ¥80.3

-8.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.83 ¥5.52

8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.69 ¥11.24

-5.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.29 ¥1.89

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$16.06 ¥107

84.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.44 ¥9.54

48.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.33 ¥2.18

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$6.17 ¥41.03

41.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.30 ¥8.66

3.08%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.9K ¥132.1K

-3.18%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$16.5K ¥109.4K

11.02%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$64.6 ¥429

-8.80%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$9.51 ¥63.2

-16.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$9.60 ¥63.8

10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$46.03 ¥306

40.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$16.30 ¥108

7.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$7.03 ¥46.73

28.88%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$440 ¥2,922

260.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$19.1K ¥126.9K

47.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$48.28 ¥321

13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$33.00 ¥219

12.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$73.2 ¥486

1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$68.5 ¥455

54.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$258 ¥1,712

298.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$192 ¥1,278

190.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$655 ¥4,353

299.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$332 ¥2,209

258.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$2,793 ¥18.6K

378.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$2,128 ¥14.1K

206.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$446 ¥2,966

283.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jinzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Jinzhou

$192 25.6% 65.6% $367

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Jinzhou

$210 27.9% 11.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Jinzhou

$100 13.3% 18.2% $22

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Jinzhou

$86 11.4% 20% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Jinzhou

$60 8% 27.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Jinzhou

$84 11.1% 8.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Jinzhou

$20 2.7% 44.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $258 in Jinzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $23 in Jinzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $210 per month, with Jinzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Jinzhou

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,703,853

💱 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Jinzhou 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Shanghai
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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 Jinzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinzhou is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 3.8 times higher, 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $258 in Jinzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jinzhou – a meal for two runs $23 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $752 in Jinzhou – Jinzhou is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $752 in Jinzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jinzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Jinzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jinzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Jinzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.