Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sabac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $845 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
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Sabac Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sabac

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

A single person spends $1,222 per month in Shanghai vs $845 in Sabac, rent included.

Shanghai $1,222
Sabac $845

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Shanghai vs $1,285 in Sabac, rent included.

Shanghai $1,971
Sabac $1,285

A family of three spends $2,720 per month in Shanghai vs $1,726 in Sabac, rent included.

Shanghai $2,720
Sabac $1,726

Shanghai costs about 45% more than Sabac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Sabac are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 10% lower, Sabac 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$8.02 RSD 845

-43.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$27.56 RSD 2,904

9.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$6.61 RSD 696

-22.69%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$1.95 RSD 206

74.87%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$1.86 RSD 196

-68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$1.40 RSD 148

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.56 RSD 270

-51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.75 RSD 290

-16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.27 RSD 133

48.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$0.62 RSD 65.7

212.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.88 RSD 198

-47.87%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.92 RSD 203

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$5.85 RSD 616

190.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$6.34 RSD 668

-49.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$11.57 RSD 1,219

11.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$1.19 RSD 126

80.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.91 RSD 201

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.40 RSD 147

45.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.94 RSD 204

-10.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.69 RSD 72.6

20.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.34 RSD 35.97

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.05 RSD 111

-36.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.40 RSD 42.57

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$3.56 RSD 375

5.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$7.59 RSD 800

45.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.70 RSD 73.5

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$0.99 RSD 105

61.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$1.00 RSD 105

-43.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.46 RSD 154

46.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.93 RSD 97.7

-49.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$5.36 RSD 565

63.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$1.76 RSD 185

-23.86%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$30.2K RSD 3.2M

-36.29%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

-23.14%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$139 RSD 14.6K

-57.49%

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

$7.90 ¥52.6

$25.55 RSD 2,692

-69.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$19.46 RSD 2,050

-45.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$29.09 RSD 3,065

122.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$11.31 RSD 1,191

54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$5.78 RSD 609

56.75%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$172 RSD 18.1K

823.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$3,864 RSD 407.1K

630.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$59.7 RSD 6,293

-8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$65.2 RSD 6,865

-42.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$57.8 RSD 6,092

28.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$118 RSD 12.4K

-10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$230 RSD 24.2K

346.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$153 RSD 16.1K

265.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$341 RSD 36.0K

667.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,927

$259 RSD 27.3K

359.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$1,874 RSD 197.4K

613.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,513 RSD 159.4K

331.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$969 RSD 102.1K

76.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.84

-30.58%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Sabac

$153 18.1% 72.6% $406

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Sabac

$183 21.7% 22.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Sabac

$135 16% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Sabac

$139 16.4% 29.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Sabac

$41 4.8% 51% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Sabac

$184 21.7% 137% $106

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Sabac

$10 * 1.2% 72.3% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Shanghai versus $230 in Sabac. 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 77% higher in Shanghai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai versus $28 in Sabac. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $183 – making Sabac the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇸 Sabac

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

7 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

51,163

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Sabac 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Sabac

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 Sabac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai, $845 in Sabac – Sabac comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Shanghai and $1,267 in Sabac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabac, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $230 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai and $28 in Sabac. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Shanghai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sabac, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Sabac it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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