Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Lanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
Learn more

Lanzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Lanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $719 in Lanzhou.

Shanghai $1,244
Lanzhou $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,143 in Lanzhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Lanzhou $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,567 in Lanzhou.

Shanghai $2,755
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Shanghai is roughly 73% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Lanzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$2.06 ¥13.80

121.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$28.34 ¥189

6.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.86 ¥39.15

-10.41%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.12 ¥20.89

5.13%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.48 ¥3.19

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.29 ¥1.93

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.10 ¥7.35

11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.02 ¥13.54

12.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.77 ¥11.81

3.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.61 ¥10.75

21.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.96 ¥6.40

7.29%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.60 ¥10.72

4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$13.22 ¥88.4

28.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.43 ¥22.92

-7.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$12.11 ¥81.0

6.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.81 ¥12.09

23.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.28 ¥8.56

29.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.49 ¥9.97

35.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.24 ¥8.32

33.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.70 ¥4.70

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.60 ¥3.99

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.55 ¥3.70

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.77 ¥25.19

0.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$11.52 ¥77.0

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.83 ¥5.52

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.53 ¥10.25

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.29 ¥1.92

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$18.07 ¥121

62.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.48 ¥9.91

42.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.32 ¥2.17

34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.12 ¥47.58

27.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.46 ¥9.73

-8.90%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

8.52%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

24.64%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$58.0 ¥388

-0.34%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.79 ¥58.8

-7.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$11.18 ¥74.8

-6.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$42.33 ¥283

55.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$14.69 ¥98.2

21.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.29 ¥42.06

42.29%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$412 ¥2,756

242.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

58.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$42.85 ¥287

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$33.44 ¥224

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$75.6 ¥505

-1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$74.1 ¥495

42.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$295 ¥1,971

257.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$168 ¥1,126

247.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$626 ¥4,186

296.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$297 ¥1,986

314.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,671 ¥17.9K

421.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,611 ¥10.8K

288.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$953 ¥6,375

79.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

12.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 71.2% $416

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 10.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 16.6% $20

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 20.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 34.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 38.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $295 in Lanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 79% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,688,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Lanzhou 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Lanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Shanghai, 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $295 in Lanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $412 in Lanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.