Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Krabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,006 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Krabi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $1,006 in Krabi.

Shanghai $1,222
Krabi $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,391 in Krabi.

Shanghai $1,971
Krabi $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,775 in Krabi.

Shanghai $2,720
Krabi $1,775

Living in Shanghai is roughly 21% more expensive than in Krabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Krabi 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$2.94 ฿99.4

54.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$18.85 ฿637

60.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$8.48 ฿286

-39.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$1.75 ฿59.2

94.86%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.05 ฿35.46

-44.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.43 ฿14.56

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.79 ฿60.5

-31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.32 ฿78.5

-0.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$2.25 ฿76.0

-16.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.50 ฿50.6

29.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$2.07 ฿69.9

-52.66%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.88 ฿63.6

-9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$16.05 ฿542

6.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$2.76 ฿93.2

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$7.80 ฿264

65.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$2.37 ฿80.2

-9.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.03 ฿34.91

67.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$2.21 ฿74.7

-8.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.44 ฿48.56

20.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.39 ฿46.97

-40.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.29 ฿43.51

-28.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.47 ฿49.51

-54.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.51 ฿17.35

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$4.53 ฿153

-16.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$10.43 ฿352

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.74 ฿58.9

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.46 ฿83.1

-34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.93 ฿31.28

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$2.34 ฿79.1

-8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$1.78 ฿60.2

-73.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$6.06 ฿205

44.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.37 ฿46.34

-2.19%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$21.7K ฿733.6K

-11.38%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$24.4K ฿825.4K

-25.21%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$69.1 ฿2,333

-14.75%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$11.47 ฿387

-31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$24.42 ฿825

-56.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$61.9 ฿2,090

4.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$9.09 ฿307

92.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$7.33 ฿248

23.60%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$8,136 ฿274.7K

247.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$14.70 ฿496

271.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$15.01 ฿507

147.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$74.3 ฿2,509

0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$74.5 ฿2,515

42.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$339 ฿11.5K

202.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$414 ฿14.0K

35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$700 ฿23.6K

274.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$509 ฿17.2K

134.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$1,186 ฿40.1K

1027.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,017 ฿34.4K

541.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$708 ฿23.9K

141.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

7.4

-54.59%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Krabi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Krabi

$414 41.1% 26% $145

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Krabi

$226 22.5% 4.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Krabi

$80 8% 34.5% $42

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Krabi

$90 8.9% 16.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Krabi

$77 7.6% 7.7% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Krabi

$105 10.4% 35.7% $28

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Krabi

$15 * 1.5% 58.9% $21

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 $339 in Krabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $19 in Krabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $226 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇹🇭 Krabi

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

1 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

50,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Krabi 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Krabi

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 Krabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Krabi differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $1,006 including rent). Krabi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 2.4 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 $339 in Krabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19 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 $1,006 in Krabi – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Krabi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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