Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Neu-Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,896 in Neu-Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Neu-Ulm
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Neu-Ulm Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Neu-Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $1,896 in Neu-Ulm.

Shanghai $1,222
Neu-Ulm $1,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $2,879 in Neu-Ulm.

Shanghai $1,971
Neu-Ulm $2,879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $3,862 in Neu-Ulm.

Shanghai $2,720
Neu-Ulm $3,862

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 36% less than in Neu-Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 10% below, Neu-Ulm is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$16.97 €15.24

-73.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$66.1 €59.3

-54.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$12.42 €11.16

-58.86%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$3.88 €3.48

-12.11%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$2.68 €2.41

-78.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$1.93 €1.73

-81.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$4.52 €4.06

-72.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$4.62 €4.15

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.40 €1.26

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.99 €1.79

-2.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$4.12 €3.70

-76.21%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$4.03 €3.62

-57.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$14.75 €13.25

15.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$10.30 €9.25

-68.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$24.25 €21.79

-46.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$3.23 €2.90

-33.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$2.15 €1.93

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$2.17 €1.95

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$4.03 €3.62

-57.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.14 €1.02

-27.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.09 €0.98

-15.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.54 €1.39

-56.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.19 €1.07

-50.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$9.97 €8.96

-62.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$5.46 €4.90

102.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.09 €0.98

-17.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.52 €1.37

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$3.55 €3.19

-83.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$54.0 €48.54

-45.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$3.89 €3.50

-44.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$2.21 €1.98

-78.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$27.94 €25.10

-68.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$2.12 €1.90

-36.79%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$33.5K €30.1K

-42.48%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-52.73%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$264 €237

-77.67%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$33.18 €29.81

-76.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$51.6 €46.37

-79.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$38.89 €34.93

66.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$25.10 €22.54

-30.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$13.62 €12.23

-33.48%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$354 €318

348.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$9,561 €8,589

195.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$45.00 €40.43

21.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$55.2 €49.57

-32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$78.5 €70.5

-5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$149 €134

-28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$795 €714

28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$642 €577

-12.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$1,125 €1,010

132.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$1,144 €1,027

4.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$4,906 €4,407

172.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$3,404 €3,057

91.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$3,650 €3,279

-53.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.95

-14.94%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Neu-Ulm: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Neu-Ulm

$642 33.9% 14.9% $83

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Neu-Ulm

$338 17.8% 43% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Neu-Ulm

$148 7.8% 20.3% $25

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Neu-Ulm

$270 14.2% 152% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Neu-Ulm

$66 3.5% 20.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Neu-Ulm

$349 18.4% 350% $271

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Neu-Ulm

$83 4.4% 129% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $795 in Neu-Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neu-Ulm pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $66 in Neu-Ulm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $338 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

19:48 7:48 PM

7 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

62,610

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Neu-Ulm 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Neu-Ulm. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Shanghai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $795 in Neu-Ulm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $354 in Neu-Ulm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Neu-Ulm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Shanghai wins on affordability, Neu-Ulm on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.