Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Krugersdorp

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Krugersdorp: $1,246 and $1,226 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Krugersdorp
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Krugersdorp Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,246

/mo nomad

Krugersdorp

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Krugersdorp

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

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Shanghai vs $1,226 in Krugersdorp, rent included.

Shanghai $1,246
Krugersdorp $1,226

A couple spends around $1,991 per month in Shanghai vs $1,804 in Krugersdorp, rent included.

Shanghai $1,991
Krugersdorp $1,804

A family of three spends $2,737 per month in Shanghai vs $2,382 in Krugersdorp, rent included.

Shanghai $2,737
Krugersdorp $2,382

Shanghai and Krugersdorp have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Shanghai and Krugersdorp are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Krugersdorp 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 ¥29.60

$10.85 R 180

-59.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ¥201

$36.96 R 613

-18.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.10

$6.41 R 106

-17.78%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.86

$2.41 R 40.06

36.10%

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

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.21 R 20.05

-50.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.44

$0.95 R 15.77

-61.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$2.53 R 42.00

-48.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ¥16.74

$3.09 R 51.3

-18.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$1.17 R 19.37

60.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 ¥13.43

$1.12 R 18.62

80.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$1.77 R 29.35

-41.24%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.05

$2.40 R 39.83

-24.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 ¥119

$8.38 R 139

112.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.37

$4.83 R 80.1

-30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 ¥88.0

$7.27 R 121

81.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.01

$1.80 R 29.89

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.69

$1.60 R 26.60

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.80 R 29.84

12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.71

$1.58 R 26.21

11.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.08 R 17.88

-24.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.16 R 19.31

-19.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.18 R 19.53

-43.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$1.23 R 20.48

-52.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 ¥27.23

$3.22 R 53.5

27.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ¥73.5

$5.04 R 83.6

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.50 R 24.90

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.98 R 32.83

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.48 R 24.50

-68.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥200

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.46

$0.29 R 4.81

648.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.82 R 13.53

-43.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 ¥61.6

$14.17 R 235

-34.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.49 R 24.75

-10.74%

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

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$35.1K R 582.2K

-43.54%

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

$18.4K ¥122.7K

$34.1K R 565.2K

-45.91%

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

$58.1 ¥387

$186 R 3,088

-68.81%

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

$8.00 ¥53.3

$38.68 R 642

-79.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.68 ¥71.1

$36.68 R 608

-70.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥437

$31.54 R 523

108.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 ¥117

$10.79 R 179

63.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 ¥58.5

$7.30 R 121

20.27%

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

$1,477 ¥9,839

$244 R 4,049

505.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.6K ¥297.0K

$5,424 R 90.0K

722.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$59.6 R 989

-8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.73 ¥245

$32.37 R 537

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥502

$96.5 R 1,600

-21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$82.2 R 1,364

28.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 ¥7,035

$392 R 6,503

169.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 ¥3,847

$433 R 7,188

33.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 ¥17.7K

$722 R 12.0K

268.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 ¥7,959

$730 R 12.1K

63.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$839 R 13.9K

1545.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,434 ¥42.9K

$668 R 11.1K

862.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 ¥11.7K

$2,077 R 34.5K

-15.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.34

-70.90%

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

Last update for Shanghai: November 3, 2026

Last update for Krugersdorp: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$578 46.4%

Krugersdorp

$433 35.3% 25% $144

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$243 19.5%

Krugersdorp

$191 15.6% 21.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 9.9%

Krugersdorp

$122 9.9% 0.7% $0.9

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Krugersdorp

$163 13.3% 53% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.7%

Krugersdorp

$46 3.8% 44.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.2%

Krugersdorp

$261 21.3% 241% $185

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Krugersdorp

$10 * 0.8% 71.8% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Shanghai versus $392 in Krugersdorp. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Krugersdorp. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai versus $37 in Krugersdorp. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Shanghai vs $191 in Krugersdorp – so Krugersdorp wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇿🇦 Krugersdorp

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

6 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

275,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Krugersdorp 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Krugersdorp

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 Krugersdorp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,869 per month in Shanghai and $1,840 in Krugersdorp. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Krugersdorp, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $1,056 in Shanghai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai and $37 in Krugersdorp. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,477 per month in Shanghai and $244 in Krugersdorp. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,246 in Shanghai and $1,226 in Krugersdorp, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Krugersdorp – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.