Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Papua New Guinea
For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,325 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. The total is higher in Papua New Guinea despite lower rent and utilities.
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Shanghai Living Index61Cost of Living Index in ShanghaiLearn more -
Papua New Guinea Living Index65Cost of Living Index in Papua New GuineaLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 23.1% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 19.7% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 7.9% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.55 ¥30.40
$7.14 PGK 31.29
-36.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.52 ¥197
$44.69 PGK 196
-33.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.10 ¥34.08
$5.55 PGK 24.32
-8.11%
Cappuccino
$3.42 ¥22.88
$2.34 PGK 10.24
46.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.11
$0.76 PGK 3.33
-19.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ¥2.40
$0.65 PGK 2.86
-44.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.21 ¥8.07
$2.62 PGK 11.47
-53.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 ¥15.31
$3.86 PGK 16.90
-40.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 ¥12.46
$1.92 PGK 8.43
-3.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.01 ¥13.45
$1.53 PGK 6.73
31.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ¥6.83
$1.36 PGK 5.96
-25.00%
Eggs
$1.72 ¥11.46
$3.81 PGK 16.69
-54.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.19 ¥115
$6.27 PGK 27.49
174.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.39
$6.00 PGK 26.29
-44.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 ¥85.5
$9.33 PGK 40.88
37.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 ¥14.51
$4.01 PGK 17.56
-45.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 ¥11.65
$3.35 PGK 14.69
-48.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 ¥12.96
$6.17 PGK 27.05
-68.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 ¥11.23
$5.13 PGK 22.47
-67.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 ¥5.17
$3.65 PGK 16.00
-78.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.21
$2.74 PGK 12.03
-66.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.16
$2.00 PGK 8.77
-69.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥3.88
$1.14 PGK 4.97
-49.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.83 ¥25.60
$6.37 PGK 27.94
-39.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.94 ¥73.1
$10.54 PGK 46.21
3.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥5.59
$2.58 PGK 11.29
-67.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ¥10.71
$3.66 PGK 16.03
-56.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.59 ¥3.92
$0.43 PGK 1.87
37.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.27 ¥202
$25.43 PGK 111
19.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.06 ¥13.77
$4.95 PGK 21.70
-58.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 ¥3.13
$2.23 PGK 9.78
-78.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.80 ¥58.8
$14.19 PGK 62.2
-37.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 ¥8.51
$0.95 PGK 4.15
33.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$28.7K PGK 125.6K
-31.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.6K ¥124.2K
$22.7K PGK 99.6K
-18.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.2 ¥382
$93.1 PGK 408
-38.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.06 ¥53.8
$27.52 PGK 121
-70.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.52 ¥70.3
$116 PGK 506
-90.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.6 ¥432
$63.5 PGK 278
1.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.63 ¥118
$24.15 PGK 106
-27.00%
Cinema Ticket
$8.84 ¥59.1
$8.99 PGK 39.42
-1.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,437 ¥9,605
$526 PGK 2,307
173.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.1K ¥187.5K
$5,532 PGK 24.2K
407.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 ¥365
$35.26 PGK 155
55.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.43 ¥243
$30.74 PGK 135
18.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$69.0 PGK 302
9.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 ¥695
$92.3 PGK 404
12.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,039 ¥6,945
$1,597 PGK 6,998
-34.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$589 ¥3,933
$444 PGK 1,946
32.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,487 ¥16.6K
$2,846 PGK 12.5K
-12.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 ¥8,268
$1,033 PGK 4,525
19.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.6K ¥90.8K
$2,005 PGK 8,789
577.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,191 ¥41.4K
$3,785 PGK 16.6K
63.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,715 ¥11.5K
$418 PGK 1,833
310.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
13.67
-75.42%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026
Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shanghai $589 47.1%
Papua New Guinea $444 33.2% 24.6% $145
Groceries & Markets
Shanghai $237 19%
Papua New Guinea $302 22.6% 27.5% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai $122 9.7%
Papua New Guinea $102 7.7% 16% $19
Eating Out
Shanghai $107 8.6%
Papua New Guinea $128 9.6% 19.5% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai $82 6.6%
Papua New Guinea $81 6.1% 1% $0.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai $76 6.1%
Papua New Guinea $236 17.7% 212% $160
Getting Around
Shanghai $37 3%
Papua New Guinea $43 3.2% 16.8% $6.2
Accommodation & Living
Shanghai $1.2K 44.8%
Papua New Guinea $1K 34.6% 16.5% $205
Groceries & Markets
Shanghai $551 19.9%
Papua New Guinea $702 23.6% 27.5% $152
Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai $270 9.8%
Papua New Guinea $227 7.6% 16% $43
Eating Out
Shanghai $362 13.1%
Papua New Guinea $481 16.1% 32.8% $119
Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai $182 6.6%
Papua New Guinea $187 6.3% 2.7% $4.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai $84 3%
Papua New Guinea $264 8.9% 214% $180
Getting Around
Shanghai $75 2.7%
Papua New Guinea $87 2.9% 16.1% $12
Good to know
🇨🇳 Shanghai
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
Weather
Population
24,870,895
8,935,000
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Shanghai Papua New Guinea 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- Shanghai
- Papua New Guinea
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 other spots: cost of living compared
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