Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ningbo Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ningbo

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 14.4% more expensive than Ningbo without rent, and 47.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 14.1% more expensive than Ningbo without rent, and 53.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.80 ¥33.14
$3.20 ¥22.14
50.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.90 ¥248
$24.10 ¥167
48.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.40 ¥37.34
$4.28 ¥29.60
26.17%
Cappuccino
$3.58 ¥24.72
$3.16 ¥21.87
13.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥4.04
$0.45 ¥3.09
31.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ¥2.32
$0.26 ¥1.78
30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.38 ¥9.53
$0.96 ¥6.60
43.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ¥19.19
$2.07 ¥14.31
34.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ¥14.70
$2.07 ¥14.28
2.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 ¥12.38
$2.73 ¥18.88
-34.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.06 ¥7.30
$0.79 ¥5.45
34.18%
Eggs
$1.63 ¥11.30
$1.34 ¥9.27
21.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.57 ¥108
$20.63 ¥143
-24.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ¥21.40
$4.87 ¥33.64
-36.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.99 ¥76.0
$11.72 ¥81.0
-6.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ¥15.61
$1.88 ¥12.99
20.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ¥11.97
$1.49 ¥10.27
16.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 ¥12.48
$2.25 ¥15.51
-19.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.04
$1.11 ¥7.68
30.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 ¥5.43
$0.65 ¥4.50
21.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 ¥7.80
$0.86 ¥5.92
31.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ¥4.70
$0.58 ¥4.01
17.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ¥3.89
$0.57 ¥3.97
-1.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 ¥18.77
$5.21 ¥36.03
-47.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.92 ¥75.4
$7.75 ¥53.6
40.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ¥5.75
$1.14 ¥7.88
-27.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ¥11.13
$1.97 ¥13.64
-18.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥2.98
$0.27 ¥1.84
59.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.22 ¥236
$16.87 ¥117
102.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 ¥14.99
$1.64 ¥11.35
32.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.60
$0.36 ¥2.46
5.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.27 ¥57.1
$7.11 ¥49.13
16.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥7.63
$1.20 ¥8.28
-8.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥135.0K
$21.7K ¥150.2K
-10.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.9K ¥123.7K
$19.2K ¥132.4K
-6.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.1 ¥367
$66.4 ¥459
-19.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.64 ¥59.7
$15.43 ¥107
-44.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.54 ¥93.6
$6.88 ¥47.56
96.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.44 ¥321
$22.10 ¥153
110.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.76 ¥137
$13.21 ¥91.3
49.58%
Cinema Ticket
$8.42 ¥58.2
$8.13 ¥56.2
3.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,265 ¥8,744
$596 ¥4,121
112.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.2K ¥215.3K
$15.5K ¥106.8K
101.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.3 ¥403
$42.39 ¥293
37.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.31 ¥258
$28.90 ¥200
29.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 ¥537
$68.5 ¥473
13.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ¥664
$62.3 ¥431
54.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$950 ¥6,563
$386 ¥2,668
146.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$569 ¥3,933
$256 ¥1,768
122.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,528 ¥17.5K
$880 ¥6,078
187.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,207 ¥8,340
$491 ¥3,395
145.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.9K ¥96.1K
$4,556 ¥31.5K
205.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,247 ¥50.1K
$2,581 ¥17.8K
180.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Ningbo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 ¥11.7K
$1,129 ¥7,798
49.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
4.85
-26.19%

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

Last update for Shanghai: March 2, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: 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

Similar cities