Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nanjing Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nanjing

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 18.8% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 25.6% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 56.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$2.80 ¥19.58

70.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$22.53 ¥157

59.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$4.79 ¥33.40

13.78%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$3.10 ¥21.63

10.32%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.41 ¥2.87

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.24 ¥1.66

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$0.82 ¥5.72

73.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$2.14 ¥14.96

30.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$2.31 ¥16.15

-9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$2.11 ¥14.75

-12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$0.77 ¥5.37

42.86%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$1.49 ¥10.41

7.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$9.34 ¥65.2

63.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$2.79 ¥19.48

10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$9.14 ¥63.8

18.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$2.15 ¥14.98

8.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.43 ¥9.95

23.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.65 ¥11.54

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$1.15 ¥8.00

27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.94 ¥6.59

-13.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$0.92 ¥6.42

26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.82 ¥5.70

-23.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.57 ¥4.00

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$3.42 ¥23.88

-19.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$14.49 ¥101

-20.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.92 ¥6.45

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.49 ¥10.37

8.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.27 ¥1.87

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$28.12 ¥196

21.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.50 ¥10.44

52.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.38 ¥2.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$8.38 ¥58.5

-0.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.13 ¥7.87

1.77%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$16.8K ¥117.0K

17.22%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$14.2K ¥99.1K

28.58%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$41.75 ¥291

24.67%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$10.81 ¥75.4

-18.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$11.01 ¥76.8

25.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$26.12 ¥182

77.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$29.23 ¥204

-32.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$5.49 ¥38.29

50.82%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$398 ¥2,775

226.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$18.6K ¥129.6K

66.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$43.09 ¥301

38.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$33.10 ¥231

14.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$67.4 ¥470

14.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$82.2 ¥573

20.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$426 ¥2,976

121.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$307 ¥2,140

85.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$903 ¥6,302

172.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$558 ¥3,892

115.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$5,713 ¥39.9K

149.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$3,224 ¥22.5K

119.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,218 ¥8,502

33.98%

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 Nanjing: January 12, 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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