Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Lanzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Lanzhou

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 28.2% more expensive than Lanzhou without rent, and 80.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 43% more expensive than Lanzhou without rent, and 98.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$2.11 ¥14.70

126.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$20.79 ¥145

72.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$5.96 ¥41.62

-8.56%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$3.09 ¥21.55

10.68%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.44 ¥3.06

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.27 ¥1.86

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$0.57 ¥3.99

149.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$1.69 ¥11.82

65.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$1.54 ¥10.72

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$1.58 ¥11.04

17.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$1.01 ¥7.05

8.91%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$1.82 ¥12.73

-12.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$12.77 ¥89.1

19.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$3.18 ¥22.18

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$9.05 ¥63.2

19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$1.71 ¥11.96

36.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.45 ¥10.09

22.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.28 ¥8.94

39.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$0.97 ¥6.76

51.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.52 ¥3.63

55.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$0.87 ¥6.11

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.46 ¥3.19

36.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.55 ¥3.87

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$3.25 ¥22.68

-14.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$10.63 ¥74.2

8.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.80 ¥5.60

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.60 ¥11.16

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.29 ¥2.03

37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$16.89 ¥118

102.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.37 ¥9.59

67.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.19 ¥1.30

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$2.56 ¥17.89

225.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.31 ¥9.16

-12.21%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$19.4K ¥135.7K

1.10%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$17.0K ¥118.9K

7.25%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$43.59 ¥304

19.41%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$10.01 ¥69.9

-12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$11.69 ¥81.6

18.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$41.52 ¥290

11.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$13.95 ¥97.3

41.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$6.36 ¥44.40

30.19%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$341 ¥2,379

280.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$27.7K ¥193.0K

11.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$43.68 ¥305

36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$30.72 ¥214

23.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$72.5 ¥506

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$42.47 ¥296

133.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$276 ¥1,927

242.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$158 ¥1,105

260.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$594 ¥4,148

313.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$273 ¥1,906

340.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$3,370 ¥23.5K

322.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$2,034 ¥14.2K

248.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$613 ¥4,279

166.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.87

-7.49%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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