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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 21.2% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 46.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 23.6% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 55.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$2.80 ¥19.38

71.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$22.07 ¥153

62.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$4.77 ¥32.98

13.21%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$3.15 ¥21.76

13.65%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$0.42 ¥2.87

40.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.24 ¥1.65

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$0.81 ¥5.59

70.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$2.07 ¥14.28

34.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$2.21 ¥15.31

-3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$2.20 ¥15.21

-18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$0.83 ¥5.70

27.71%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$1.47 ¥10.15

10.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$9.00 ¥62.2

73.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$2.85 ¥19.67

8.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$9.02 ¥62.3

21.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$2.13 ¥14.73

6.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.43 ¥9.88

20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$1.61 ¥11.10

12.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$1.19 ¥8.25

21.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$0.94 ¥6.47

-15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$0.93 ¥6.42

21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.81 ¥5.60

-16.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$3.57 ¥24.67

-23.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$14.26 ¥98.6

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$0.91 ¥6.29

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$1.50 ¥10.37

7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.27 ¥1.86

59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$27.72 ¥192

23.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.49 ¥10.32

45.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$0.36 ¥2.48

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$8.50 ¥58.7

-2.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.12 ¥7.74

-1.79%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$16.9K ¥117.0K

15.43%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$14.5K ¥100.1K

23.52%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$43.33 ¥299

22.64%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$10.79 ¥74.6

-19.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$11.28 ¥77.9

20.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$26.51 ¥183

75.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$29.39 ¥203

-32.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$5.59 ¥38.65

50.63%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$403 ¥2,785

213.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$18.4K ¥126.9K

69.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$42.30 ¥292

37.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$32.88 ¥227

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$67.6 ¥467

14.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$82.1 ¥567

17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$433 ¥2,994

119.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$298 ¥2,058

91.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$893 ¥6,173

183.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$541 ¥3,738

123.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$5,597 ¥38.7K

148.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$3,138 ¥21.7K

130.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$1,256 ¥8,679

34.35%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nanjing: March 3, 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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