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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 33.6% more expensive than Lanzhou without rent, and 81.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 58.4% more expensive than Lanzhou without rent, and 99.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$2.06 ¥14.09

141.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$21.09 ¥144

71.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$6.12 ¥41.79

-11.44%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$3.04 ¥20.73

17.11%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$0.40 ¥2.76

32.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.29 ¥2.00

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$0.54 ¥3.70

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$1.66 ¥11.33

66.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.56 ¥10.64

36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.55 ¥10.60

18.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$0.99 ¥6.73

6.06%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$1.79 ¥12.24

-6.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$12.75 ¥87.1

22.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$3.09 ¥21.11

4.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$8.76 ¥59.9

23.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$1.80 ¥12.29

31.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.43 ¥9.76

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$1.29 ¥8.81

39.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$0.97 ¥6.60

52.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$0.49 ¥3.32

73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$0.81 ¥5.54

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.49 ¥3.33

26.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.56 ¥3.86

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$3.11 ¥21.21

-9.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$9.95 ¥68.0

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$0.74 ¥5.07

6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$1.58 ¥10.81

-0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.27 ¥1.84

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$16.51 ¥113

111.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.35 ¥9.25

65.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.20 ¥1.37

90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$2.50 ¥17.06

229.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.31 ¥8.95

-12.21%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$19.2K ¥131.4K

3.38%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$16.8K ¥114.5K

6.35%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$45.27 ¥309

15.31%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$9.59 ¥65.5

-9.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$11.88 ¥81.2

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$41.58 ¥284

11.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$14.10 ¥96.3

45.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$6.20 ¥42.32

33.23%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$341 ¥2,328

271.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$27.7K ¥188.9K

15.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$42.76 ¥292

39.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$30.01 ¥205

27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$70.5 ¥481

9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$41.08 ¥281

134.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$284 ¥1,939

234.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$155 ¥1,058

269.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$587 ¥4,009

321.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$270 ¥1,846

346.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$3,136 ¥21.4K

349.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$2,086 ¥14.2K

245.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$623 ¥4,254

169.97%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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