Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nanning

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $730 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Nanning

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $730 in Nanning.

Shanghai $1,244
Nanning $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,171 in Nanning.

Shanghai $1,999
Nanning $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,612 in Nanning.

Shanghai $2,755
Nanning $1,612

Living in Shanghai is roughly 70% more expensive than in Nanning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Nanning 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.05 ¥20.41

49.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$20.18 ¥135

49.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.50 ¥36.78

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.37 ¥15.82

38.40%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.60 ¥4.00

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.29 ¥1.96

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.88 ¥5.86

39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.18 ¥14.56

4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.18 ¥14.55

-15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.30 ¥15.39

-14.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.13 ¥7.53

-8.85%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.00 ¥13.36

-16.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.34 ¥69.1

64.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.97 ¥26.51

-19.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$17.63 ¥118

-26.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.79 ¥12.00

25.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.27 ¥8.51

30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.50 ¥10.05

34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.68 ¥11.21

-1.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.98 ¥6.55

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.19 ¥7.94

-21.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.57 ¥3.83

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.60 ¥4.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$4.09 ¥27.37

-7.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$14.76 ¥98.7

-26.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.91 ¥6.11

-9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.56 ¥10.43

3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.54 ¥3.62

12.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$15.81 ¥106

85.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.32 ¥8.86

59.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.43 ¥2.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.49 ¥50.1

20.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.32 ¥8.79

0.76%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$23.0K ¥153.6K

-17.18%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$13.2K ¥88.4K

41.54%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$33.88 ¥227

70.63%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$14.13 ¥94.5

-42.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$10.83 ¥72.4

-3.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$73.8 ¥494

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$7.66 ¥51.2

132.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.77 ¥45.24

32.20%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$303 ¥2,024

367.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$4,424 ¥29.6K

529.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$20.13 ¥135

168.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$30.01 ¥201

23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$64.0 ¥428

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$74.4 ¥498

41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$251 ¥1,681

319.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$152 ¥1,016

284.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$385 ¥2,572

546.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$298 ¥1,993

313.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,545 ¥23.7K

292.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,534 ¥10.3K

307.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$682 ¥4,562

150.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.63

-7.44%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nanning: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Nanning

$152 20.8% 74% $433

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Nanning

$244 33.4% 3.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Nanning

$85 11.6% 30.4% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Nanning

$82 11.2% 23% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Nanning

$87 12% 4.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Nanning

$59 8.1% 23% $18

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Nanning

$21 2.9% 40.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $251 in Nanning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 151% 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 $20.00 in Nanning. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $244, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Nanning

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

8,741,584

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Shanghai Nanning 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Nanning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Nanning differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $730 including rent). Nanning is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 151% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $251 in Nanning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanning runs roughly 86% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $303 in Nanning. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $730 in Nanning versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning 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 Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.