Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $779 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
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Jiujiang Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Jiujiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $779 in Jiujiang.

Shanghai $1,222
Jiujiang $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,243 in Jiujiang.

Shanghai $1,971
Jiujiang $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,707 in Jiujiang.

Shanghai $2,720
Jiujiang $1,707

Living in Shanghai is roughly 57% more expensive than in Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Jiujiang 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$2.57 ¥17.09

76.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$22.11 ¥147

36.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$4.42 ¥29.39

15.61%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.76 ¥18.33

23.55%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.50 ¥3.32

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.27 ¥1.77

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.02 ¥6.79

20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$1.97 ¥13.10

17.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.61 ¥10.72

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.97 ¥13.06

-1.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.82 ¥5.42

19.51%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.90 ¥12.61

-10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.82 ¥91.8

23.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$4.80 ¥31.92

-32.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$11.30 ¥75.1

14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$2.32 ¥15.40

-7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.73 ¥11.53

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.70 ¥11.31

19.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.53 ¥10.20

13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.86 ¥5.74

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.99 ¥6.59

-7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.78 ¥5.18

-14.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.71 ¥4.73

-16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$2.92 ¥19.41

29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$11.82 ¥78.5

-6.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.94 ¥6.24

-4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.94 ¥12.87

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.32 ¥2.11

78.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$15.89 ¥106

86.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.19 ¥7.89

79.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.32 ¥2.15

46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$3.59 ¥23.84

143.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.34 ¥8.90

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.1K ¥127.0K

0.74%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$16.6K ¥110.3K

10.10%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$48.35 ¥321

21.82%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$9.24 ¥61.4

-14.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$11.84 ¥78.7

-10.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$35.99 ¥239

80.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$12.93 ¥85.9

35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$6.49 ¥43.14

39.60%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$244 ¥1,622

549.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$8,750 ¥58.1K

222.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$90.7 ¥603

-39.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$33.26 ¥221

11.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$64.4 ¥428

15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$96.0 ¥638

10.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$311 ¥2,064

230.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$202 ¥1,344

176.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$663 ¥4,409

294.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$394 ¥2,615

202.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$3,031 ¥20.1K

341.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$2,011 ¥13.4K

224.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$607 ¥4,035

181.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.15

6.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Jiujiang

$202 26% 63.8% $357

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Jiujiang

$231 29.7% 2.4% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Jiujiang

$128 16.4% 4.3% $5.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Jiujiang

$79 10.2% 26.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Jiujiang

$49 6.3% 40.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Jiujiang

$69 8.9% 10.3% $8

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Jiujiang

$20 2.6% 45.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $311 in Jiujiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $22 in Jiujiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $231 per month, with Jiujiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,728,778

💱 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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Shanghai Jiujiang 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiujiang wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jiujiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 2.8 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 $311 in Jiujiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $244 in Jiujiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiujiang – a meal for two runs $22 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jiujiang 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 Jiujiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.