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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 6.9% more expensive than Sandton without rent, and 12.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 5.2% more expensive than Sandton without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.19

$11.05 R 182

-56.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$45.19 R 745

-20.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.40

$4.90 R 80.8

10.20%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.76

$2.10 R 34.55

70.48%

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

$0.59 ¥4.05

$1.03 R 16.93

-42.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.33

$0.83 R 13.63

-59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.55

$2.29 R 37.69

-39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.22

$2.45 R 40.43

13.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.72

$1.18 R 19.48

80.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.39

$1.07 R 17.62

67.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.31

$1.57 R 25.94

-32.48%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.31

$2.51 R 41.38

-35.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$7.77 R 128

100.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.43

$4.50 R 74.1

-31.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.1

$6.77 R 111

62.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.63

$1.68 R 27.69

34.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.98

$1.48 R 24.32

16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.50

$1.67 R 27.45

8.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.05

$1.64 R 26.98

-11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.44

$1.33 R 21.86

-40.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.81

$1.45 R 23.92

-22.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.71

$1.08 R 17.85

-37.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.92 R 15.17

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.80

$2.79 R 45.95

-2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.5

$6.10 R 101

79.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$1.29 R 21.31

-35.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.15

$1.66 R 27.37

-3.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$1.68 R 27.62

-74.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥237

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥15.02

$1.10 R 18.09

97.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.61

$0.96 R 15.77

-60.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.2

$2.99 R 49.35

176.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.64

$1.27 R 20.91

-13.39%

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

$19.5K ¥135.2K

$22.7K R 373.8K

-13.84%

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

$17.9K ¥123.8K

$24.0K R 395.4K

-25.42%

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

$53.1 ¥368

$118 R 1,937

-54.79%

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

$8.64 ¥59.8

$37.02 R 610

-76.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.7

$42.54 R 701

-68.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$42.39 R 699

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$7.14 R 118

17.93%

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

$1,265 ¥8,757

$201 R 3,308

530.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.6K

$4,821 R 79.5K

546.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$50.3 R 828

15.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$33.69 R 555

10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$91.1 R 1,501

-14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥665

$87.2 R 1,437

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,573

$398 R 6,565

138.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,939

$386 R 6,354

47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$684 R 11.3K

269.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,352

$810 R 13.4K

48.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.2K

$799 R 13.2K

1640.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.2K

$715 R 11.8K

913.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$2,071 R 34.1K

-18.52%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sandton: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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