Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sandton Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sandton

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 2% more expensive than Sandton without rent, and 10.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 13.1% more expensive than Sandton without rent, and 13.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 ¥33.91

$10.78 R 185

-55.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.74 ¥260

$44.01 R 753

-16.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 ¥40.57

$4.93 R 84.4

16.23%

Cappuccino

$3.5 ¥24.79

$2.12 R 36.32

65.09%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$1.01 R 17.31

-42.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.4

$0.83 R 14.29

-59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 ¥10.09

$2.26 R 38.65

-36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ¥20.24

$2.48 R 42.52

15.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥14.73

$1.14 R 19.53

82.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.8 ¥12.75

$1.01 R 17.3

78.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.51

$1.58 R 27.12

-32.91%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥11.41

$2.52 R 43.15

-36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.33 ¥108

$7.51 R 129

104.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.93

$4.45 R 76.3

-27.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ¥78.1

$6.58 R 113

67.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.93

$1.68 R 28.76

33.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥12.25

$1.48 R 25.37

16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.65

$1.66 R 28.45

7.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.8

$1.67 R 28.65

-8.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.92

$1.32 R 22.61

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.24

$1.43 R 24.54

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.45

$1.14 R 19.46

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.6 ¥4.26

$0.97 R 16.59

-38.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ¥19.94

$2.81 R 48.17

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 ¥78.8

$5.85 R 100

90.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.56

$1.36 R 23.25

-41.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.94

$1.61 R 27.57

-3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.4 ¥2.86

$1.68 R 28.82

-76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.65 ¥245

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ¥15.44

$1.1 R 18.91

98.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.4 ¥2.84

$0.96 R 16.4

-58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.6 ¥60.9

$3.09 R 52.9

178.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥8.05

$1.32 R 22.61

-13.64%

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

$19.3K ¥136.8K

$22.1K R 378.1K

-12.42%

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

$18.1K ¥127.7K

$23.6K R 403.3K

-23.38%

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

$51.9 ¥367

$120 R 2,056

-56.82%

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

$8.48 ¥60

$37.63 R 644

-77.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.83 ¥97.8

$42.71 R 731

-67.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.86 ¥331

$43.69 R 748

7.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 ¥144

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥58.6

$7.07 R 121

17.11%

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

$1,290 ¥9,125

$196 R 3,364

556.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32K ¥226.4K

$4,968 R 85K

544.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ¥417

$50.9 R 872

15.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥262

$32.93 R 564

12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ¥550

$89.6 R 1,535

-13.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ¥684

$90 R 1,540

7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ¥6,606

$391 R 6,693

138.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ¥3,975

$381 R 6,519

47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.4K

$672 R 11.5K

265.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 ¥8,292

$813 R 13.9K

44.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.8K ¥104.4K

$731 R 12.5K

1919.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,251 ¥51.3K

$669 R 11.5K

984.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,535 ¥10.9K

$1,982 R 33.9K

-22.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

11.51

-68.90%

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

Last update for Shanghai: November 23, 2025

Last update for Sandton: November 25, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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