Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Port Vila

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Shanghai vs $3,157 in Port Vila, rent included.

Shanghai $1,250
Port Vila $3,157

A couple spends around $2,019 per month in Shanghai vs $4,290 in Port Vila, rent included.

Shanghai $2,019
Port Vila $4,290

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Shanghai vs $5,424 in Port Vila, rent included.

Shanghai $2,789
Port Vila $5,424

Shanghai is about 60% cheaper than Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Shanghai sits 7% below the global median, while Port Vila is 136% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$12.64 VUV 1,480

-64.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$55.9 VUV 6,540

-47.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$14.29 VUV 1,673

-64.31%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$4.06 VUV 475

-15.76%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.32 VUV 271

-73.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$2.33 VUV 273

-84.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$4.93 VUV 577

-75.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$7.24 VUV 847

-68.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$2.86 VUV 335

-34.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$1.90 VUV 223

5.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$3.83 VUV 448

-73.37%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$6.06 VUV 710

-71.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$17.62 VUV 2,063

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$16.51 VUV 1,933

-79.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$13.76 VUV 1,611

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$6.98 VUV 817

-68.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$2.12 VUV 249

-17.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$3.82 VUV 447

-49.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$9.36 VUV 1,096

-82.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$8.96 VUV 1,049

-91.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.50 VUV 410

-73.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.60 VUV 304

-76.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.16 VUV 135

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$9.16 VUV 1,073

-58.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$12.63 VUV 1,479

-13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$2.50 VUV 292

-66.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.73 VUV 319

-41.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.24 VUV 145

-52.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$68.8 VUV 8,054

-56.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$2.48 VUV 291

-16.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.87 VUV 102

-45.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$5.22 VUV 611

68.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.82 VUV 213

-30.22%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

-16.79%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

-51.18%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$640 VUV 74.9K

-91.05%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$22.97 VUV 2,689

-64.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$359 VUV 42.0K

-97.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$67.7 VUV 7,931

-4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$17.18 VUV 2,011

2.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$625 VUV 73.2K

129.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

301.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$41.44 VUV 4,852

31.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$67.4 VUV 7,894

-45.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

-11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$103 VUV 12.0K

1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

-34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

-47.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

-26.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

-33.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

122.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

180.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$667 VUV 78.1K

157.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.18

-45.63%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5% 89.9% $529

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Port Vila

$475 15.1% 101% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Port Vila

$134 4.3% 9.8% $12

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Port Vila

$250 8% 133% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 17.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Port Vila

$1K 32.5% 1248% $946

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 118% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,039 in Shanghai versus $1,581 in Port Vila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 157% higher in Shanghai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $56.0 in Port Vila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $475 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Port Vila 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Port Vila

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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Vila costs about 153% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,874 per month in Shanghai and $4,735 in Port Vila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,250 in Shanghai and $3,157 in Port Vila. That's a gap of about 153%.

Public transport costs about 127% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Port Vila at $3,157. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.