Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Pathein

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathein: $1,021 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Pathein
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Pathein Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Pathein

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,021 in Pathein.

Shanghai $1,244
Pathein $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,830 in Pathein.

Shanghai $1,999
Pathein $1,830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,639 in Pathein.

Shanghai $2,755
Pathein $2,639

Living in Shanghai is roughly 22% more expensive than in Pathein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Pathein 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$1.48 MMK 3,095

208.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$19.79 MMK 41.4K

52.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$7.97 MMK 16.7K

-34.13%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.47 MMK 3,082

123.13%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.52 MMK 1,098

9.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.51 MMK 1,078

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.48 MMK 3,108

-16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$0.98 MMK 2,048

131.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.46 MMK 3,047

34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.98 MMK 6,249

-65.44%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.47 MMK 5,165

-32.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$40.74 MMK 85.3K

-58.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.92 MMK 12.4K

-46.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$8.06 MMK 16.9K

60.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$10.02 MMK 21.0K

-77.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$10.08 MMK 21.1K

-79.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.91 MMK 10.3K

-66.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$4.07 MMK 8,530

-81.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.01 MMK 4,217

-53.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.52 MMK 1,098

21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$2.95 MMK 6,185

28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$20.03 MMK 41.9K

-45.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.48 MMK 3,094

-44.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.98 MMK 4,152

-18.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.02 MMK 2,145

-57.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$2.97 MMK 6,222

205.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.99 MMK 4,161

-33.17%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$32.5K MMK 68.0M

-41.45%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

-40.43%

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

$57.8 ¥387

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$20.30 MMK 42.5K

-60.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$10.18 MMK 21.3K

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$151 MMK 316.3K

-56.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$2.05 MMK 4,298

336.59%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$396 MMK 829.8K

256.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$4,748 MMK 9.9M

486.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$20.34 MMK 42.6K

165.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$14.75 MMK 30.9K

151.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$49.03 MMK 102.7K

51.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$60.1 MMK 125.8K

75.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$401 MMK 840.1K

162.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$301 MMK 631.0K

94.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,089 MMK 2.3M

128.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$984 MMK 2.1M

25.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pathein: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Pathein

$301 29.5% 48.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Pathein

$397 * 38.9% 69.1% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Pathein

$65 6.4% 46.8% $57

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Pathein

$67 6.6% 36.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Pathein

$155 15.2% 85.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Pathein

$30 * 3% 60.1% $46

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Pathein

$5.1 * 0.5% 85.8% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $401 in Pathein. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $20.00 in Pathein. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $397, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇲🇲 Pathein

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

1 h 30 min behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

315,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,354 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Pathein 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Pathein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Pathein differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,021 including rent). Pathein is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,532 in Pathein to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $401 in Pathein. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $396 in Pathein. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pathein – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,021 in Pathein versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pathein but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Pathein 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 Pathein gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.