Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nakhodka

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Nakhodka: $1,250 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Nakhodka
Learn more

Nakhodka Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Nakhodka

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Nakhodka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,210 in Nakhodka.

Shanghai $1,250
Nakhodka $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,745 in Nakhodka.

Shanghai $2,019
Nakhodka $1,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,280 in Nakhodka.

Shanghai $2,789
Nakhodka $2,280

Living in Shanghai is roughly 3% more expensive than in Nakhodka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Nakhodka 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$11.66 ₽992

-60.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$35.77 ₽3,044

-17.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$6.33 ₽539

-19.43%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.00 ₽256

14.00%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.09 ₽92.5

-44.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.69 ₽59.0

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.37 ₽117

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$2.22 ₽189

3.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.73 ₽147

7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$0.68 ₽58.1

195.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$0.89 ₽75.4

14.61%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.22 ₽189

-22.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$9.43 ₽802

82.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$6.24 ₽531

-46.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$11.35 ₽965

12.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$2.85 ₽242

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.99 ₽169

-12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$2.68 ₽228

-27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.55 ₽302

-52.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.76 ₽64.2

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.61 ₽51.6

52.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.33 ₽113

-53.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.10 ₽93.8

-47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$2.88 ₽245

32.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$7.45 ₽634

46.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.19 ₽101

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.30 ₽196

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.68 ₽57.7

-13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$1.39 ₽118

48.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.61 ₽51.9

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$5.81 ₽494

51.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.79 ₽67.1

60.76%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$44.3K ₽3.8M

-55.74%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$29.2K ₽2.5M

-36.38%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$212 ₽18.0K

-73.01%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$7.68 ₽653

4.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$9.17 ₽781

14.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$46.22 ₽3,933

39.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$5.79 ₽492

52.68%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$811 ₽69.0K

77.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$128 ₽10.9K

-57.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$65.8 ₽5,603

-44.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$120 ₽10.2K

-37.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$123 ₽10.5K

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$419 ₽35.6K

148.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$299 ₽25.4K

96.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$580 ₽49.4K

328.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$408 ₽34.7K

203.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$1,586 ₽135.0K

756.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$973 ₽82.8K

536.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$499 ₽42.5K

243.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

23.6

-85.76%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nakhodka: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Nakhodka

$299 25.2% 49.2% $290

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Nakhodka

$232 19.5% 2% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Nakhodka

$197 16.6% 61.6% $75

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Nakhodka

$167 14% 55.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Nakhodka

$58 4.9% 29.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Nakhodka

$229 19.3% 202% $153

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Nakhodka

$7.2 * 0.6% 80.7% $30

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 $1,039 in Shanghai and $419 in Nakhodka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 244% 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 $36.00 in Nakhodka. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $232, with Nakhodka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇺 Nakhodka

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

142,673

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Nakhodka 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Nakhodka

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 Nakhodka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakhodka wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nakhodka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 244% 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $419 in Nakhodka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $811 in Nakhodka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhodka – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Nakhodka versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nakhodka but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhodka 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 Nakhodka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.