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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 21.8% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 45.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 26.9% more expensive than Nanjing without rent, and 57.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥34.00

$2.82 ¥19.29

76.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$22.64 ¥155

59.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.09

$4.81 ¥32.90

12.68%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.35

$3.13 ¥21.40

13.74%

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

$0.53 ¥3.65

$0.41 ¥2.80

29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.24 ¥1.64

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.24

$0.86 ¥5.86

56.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.90

$2.07 ¥14.14

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.56

$2.26 ¥15.48

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.60

$2.17 ¥14.87

-15.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.20

$0.82 ¥5.58

28.05%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.46

$1.47 ¥10.08

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥107

$9.00 ¥61.6

73.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.16

$2.83 ¥19.38

14.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.1

$8.91 ¥60.9

21.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.24

$2.13 ¥14.54

11.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.59

$1.36 ¥9.30

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.29

$1.64 ¥11.21

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.10

$1.20 ¥8.18

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.84

$0.88 ¥6.01

-3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.00

$0.98 ¥6.71

19.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.88 ¥6.00

-29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.16

$0.56 ¥3.85

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.20

$3.43 ¥23.48

-18.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.3

$14.68 ¥100

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.39

$0.94 ¥6.45

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.74

$1.49 ¥10.21

5.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.29 ¥2.00

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$28.38 ¥194

23.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.35

$1.50 ¥10.23

49.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.38 ¥2.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.3

$8.12 ¥55.6

1.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.88

$1.13 ¥7.75

1.77%

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

$19.9K ¥136.0K

$17.4K ¥118.8K

14.45%

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

$17.8K ¥122.0K

$14.3K ¥97.6K

24.95%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$42.53 ¥291

22.74%

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

$8.70 ¥59.5

$11.09 ¥75.9

-21.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.9

$11.26 ¥77.0

20.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥317

$26.32 ¥180

75.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$28.66 ¥196

-28.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$5.45 ¥37.30

51.56%

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

$1,266 ¥8,662

$411 ¥2,810

208.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.5K

$18.5K ¥126.3K

72.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥409

$43.02 ¥294

38.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$33.33 ¥228

14.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥528

$69.2 ¥473

11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥658

$83.4 ¥571

15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,488

$423 ¥2,893

124.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,914

$302 ¥2,064

89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$907 ¥6,201

172.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,251

$560 ¥3,830

115.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.4K

$5,720 ¥39.1K

146.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$3,125 ¥21.4K

130.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$1,233 ¥8,431

36.43%

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 Nanjing: April 14, 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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