Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $500 in Kaifeng.

Shanghai $1,222
Kaifeng $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $792 in Kaifeng.

Shanghai $1,971
Kaifeng $792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,083 in Kaifeng.

Shanghai $2,720
Kaifeng $1,083

Living in Shanghai is roughly 144% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$1.85 ¥12.30

144.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$13.44 ¥89.3

124.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$4.12 ¥27.40

24.03%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.19 ¥14.54

55.71%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.39 ¥2.56

48.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.17 ¥1.14

105.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$0.89 ¥5.91

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$1.53 ¥10.16

50.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.57 ¥10.40

19.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.54 ¥10.21

25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.81 ¥5.39

20.99%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$0.96 ¥6.39

77.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$6.67 ¥44.30

155.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$2.30 ¥15.25

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$10.21 ¥67.8

26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$0.87 ¥5.78

147.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$0.97 ¥6.42

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$0.59 ¥3.94

244.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$0.64 ¥4.25

170.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.58 ¥3.84

43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.67 ¥4.47

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.21 ¥1.39

219.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.55 ¥3.67

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$2.94 ¥19.56

28.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$14.88 ¥98.9

-25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.01 ¥6.70

-10.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$2.01 ¥13.36

-20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.13 ¥0.87

338.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.17 ¥7.75

82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.15 ¥0.99

213.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$3.69 ¥24.50

136.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.27 ¥8.44

5.51%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.2K ¥127.3K

0.46%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

22.75%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$45.22 ¥300

30.25%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$4.76 ¥31.62

65.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$5.28 ¥35.07

100.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$29.67 ¥197

118.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$10.55 ¥70.1

65.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$3.82 ¥25.36

137.17%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$388 ¥2,581

308.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$31.2K ¥207.3K

-9.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$43.81 ¥291

24.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$33.96 ¥226

9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$71.9 ¥478

3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$45.32 ¥301

134.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$121 ¥801

751.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$88.7 ¥589

530.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$225 ¥1,494

1064.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$180 ¥1,197

560.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$580 ¥3,852

195.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.1

8.39%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 84.1% $471

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 30.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 28.5% $35

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 41% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 55% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 28.6% $22

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 93.3% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $121 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $13 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $165 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,676,159

💱 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 Kaifeng 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 3 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 $121 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $500 in Kaifeng – Kaifeng is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kaifeng 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kaifeng wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.