Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kholmsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kholmsk: $1,025 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Kholmsk
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Kholmsk Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Kholmsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kholmsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,025 in Kholmsk.

Shanghai $1,250
Kholmsk $1,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,619 in Kholmsk.

Shanghai $2,019
Kholmsk $1,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,213 in Kholmsk.

Shanghai $2,789
Kholmsk $2,213

Living in Shanghai is roughly 22% more expensive than in Kholmsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Kholmsk 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$11.22 ₽954

-59.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$36.19 ₽3,079

-18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$6.81 ₽580

-25.11%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$2.44 ₽207

40.16%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.02 ₽86.8

-40.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.59 ₽49.97

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.85 ₽157

-34.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$2.99 ₽254

-23.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.06 ₽90.3

75.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$0.79 ₽67.5

154.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$1.30 ₽110

-21.54%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.46 ₽124

17.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$10.12 ₽861

69.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$5.25 ₽446

-36.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$12.49 ₽1,063

2.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$1.84 ₽157

17.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.73 ₽147

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$1.89 ₽160

2.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$2.95 ₽251

-43.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.75 ₽63.8

2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.61 ₽52.2

52.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.27 ₽108

-51.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.75 ₽64.1

-22.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$2.57 ₽219

49.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$8.40 ₽715

30.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.02 ₽87.1

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.00 ₽170

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.51 ₽43.08

15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$2.34 ₽199

-11.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.40 ₽34.14

17.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$5.64 ₽480

56.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.93 ₽78.8

36.56%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$36.0K ₽3.1M

-45.53%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$29.0K ₽2.5M

-35.99%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$103 ₽8,797

-44.64%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$6.06 ₽515

33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$8.30 ₽707

26.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$39.77 ₽3,384

62.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$21.81 ₽1,855

-19.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$5.04 ₽429

75.40%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$389 ₽33.1K

269.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$7,319 ₽622.8K

283.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$85.5 ₽7,272

-36.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$48.27 ₽4,107

-24.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$131 ₽11.1K

-42.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$102 ₽8,658

2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$404 ₽34.3K

157.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$305 ₽26.0K

92.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$943 ₽80.2K

163.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$564 ₽48.0K

119.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$2,094 ₽178.2K

548.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,510 ₽128.5K

310.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

21.33

-84.25%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kholmsk: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Kholmsk

$305 30.1% 48.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Kholmsk

$209 20.6% 11.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Kholmsk

$165 16.3% 35.4% $43

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Kholmsk

$161 15.9% 50.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Kholmsk

$50 4.9% 39.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kholmsk

$118 11.6% 55.3% $42

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Kholmsk

$6.4 * 0.6% 82.8% $31

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 $1,039 in Shanghai and $404 in Kholmsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $36.00 in Kholmsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $209, with Kholmsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇺 Kholmsk

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

27,954

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Kholmsk 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kholmsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kholmsk wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kholmsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,874 in Shanghai and $1,538 in Kholmsk to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $404 in Kholmsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,250 per month in Shanghai versus $1,025 in Kholmsk – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,025 in Kholmsk versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kholmsk but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kholmsk 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 Kholmsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.