Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Maseru

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $669 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
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Maseru Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Maseru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $669 in Maseru.

Shanghai $1,256
Maseru $669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,123 in Maseru.

Shanghai $1,999
Maseru $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,576 in Maseru.

Shanghai $2,743
Maseru $1,576

Living in Shanghai is roughly 88% more expensive than in Maseru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Maseru 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$8.87 LSL 146

-49.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$23.91 LSL 395

26.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$8.34 LSL 138

-38.97%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$1.99 LSL 32.92

72.36%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.11 LSL 18.32

-44.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.88 LSL 14.55

-55.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.79 LSL 29.49

-31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$2.46 LSL 40.51

-10.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.18 LSL 19.50

56.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$0.87 LSL 14.42

124.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$1.80 LSL 29.75

-44.44%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.53 LSL 25.27

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$6.55 LSL 108

166.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.15 LSL 101

-47.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$6.31 LSL 104

105.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.94 LSL 31.96

15.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.29 LSL 37.85

-26.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.77 LSL 45.67

-29.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$2.39 LSL 39.48

-27.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$1.55 LSL 25.62

-50.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.67 LSL 27.53

-44.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.55 LSL 25.50

-57.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.80 LSL 13.13

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$5.08 LSL 83.9

-27.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$7.24 LSL 119

50.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.04 LSL 17.18

-16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.53 LSL 25.30

6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.82 LSL 13.55

-24.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$30.08 LSL 496

1.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$0.75 LSL 12.43

174.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.70 LSL 11.52

-34.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$3.69 LSL 60.9

139.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.32 LSL 21.71

0.76%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.2K LSL 349.9K

-9.20%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$16.6K LSL 274.0K

9.86%

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

$57.1 ¥382

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$14.55 LSL 240

-44.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$38.75 LSL 639

-72.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$23.08 LSL 381

179.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$52.7 LSL 870

2633.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$1,219 LSL 20.1K

2212.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$45.86 LSL 757

16.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$57.2 LSL 944

-35.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$104 LSL 1,714

-25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$150 LSL 2,478

-30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$92.8 LSL 1,531

1002.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$56.7 LSL 935

948.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$444 LSL 7,330

476.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$170 LSL 2,800

614.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$391 LSL 6,453

3358.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$527 LSL 8,696

1085.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$622 LSL 10.3K

173.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.5

-60.47%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Maseru: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Maseru

$57 8.5% 90.5% $537

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Maseru

$196 29.3% 17.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Maseru

$161 24% 31.6% $39

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Maseru

$142 21.2% 32.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Maseru

$23 * 3.5% 72.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Maseru

$53 * 8% 29.8% $23

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Maseru

$38 5.6% 1.1% $0.4

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 $1,023 in Shanghai and $92.8 in Maseru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 173% 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 $24.00 in Maseru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $196 per month, with Maseru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇱🇸 Maseru

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

18:56 6:56 PM

6 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

227,880 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 LSL (100 LSL = 5.39 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Maseru 11,990 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Maseru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Maseru differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $669 including rent). Maseru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 173% 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $92.8 in Maseru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Maseru – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,256 per month in Shanghai versus $669 in Maseru – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $669 in Maseru versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maseru but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Maseru 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 Maseru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.