Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sao Paulo Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sao Paulo

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 1% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 4.1% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 19.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.85 ¥34.29

$7.38 R$39.54

-34.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.66 ¥259

$39.15 R$210

-6.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.41 ¥38.27

$7.17 R$38.41

-24.55%

Cappuccino

$3.53 ¥24.95

$2.11 R$11.29

67.30%

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

$0.58 ¥4.12

$1.19 R$6.38

-51.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.39

$0.83 R$4.46

-59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.4 ¥9.92

$2.1 R$11.24

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.64

$2.85 R$15.25

-2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ¥14.91

$1.02 R$5.45

106.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥13.01

$1.77 R$9.51

3.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.47

$1.29 R$6.92

-17.83%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥11.38

$2.39 R$12.79

-32.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 ¥108

$10.91 R$58.4

39.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 ¥21.68

$4.22 R$22.59

-27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ¥77.4

$8.89 R$47.64

23.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 ¥16.8

$2.83 R$15.19

-15.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ¥12.36

$1.93 R$10.34

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.67

$1.68 R$9

6.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.38

$1.85 R$9.9

-20.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥6.04

$1.42 R$7.63

-40.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.88

$1.3 R$6.97

-14.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.51

$0.92 R$4.95

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.96

$0.69 R$3.71

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ¥19.93

$2.57 R$13.76

9.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥81.2

$8.24 R$44.13

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.53

$1.34 R$7.18

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥11.56

$2.38 R$12.73

-31.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.09

$0.93 R$4.97

-52.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.77 ¥246

$45.51 R$244

-23.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ¥15.61

$1.11 R$5.95

99.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.4 ¥2.85

$0.75 R$4

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 ¥58.9

$8.95 R$47.97

-6.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥7.68

$1.11 R$5.93

-1.80%

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

$19.7K ¥139.3K

$21.3K R$114.1K

-7.53%

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

$18.1K ¥127.9K

$28.4K R$152.3K

-36.37%

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

$51.8 ¥366

$55.6 R$298

-6.94%

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

$8.81 ¥62.3

$13.16 R$70.5

-33.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.66 ¥96.6

$20.26 R$109

-32.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.59 ¥329

$28.8 R$154

61.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 ¥141

$36.03 R$193

-44.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 ¥60.6

$8.13 R$43.56

5.54%

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

$1,267 ¥8,958

$488 R$2,614

159.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32K ¥226.3K

$15.4K R$82.4K

108.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 ¥413

$51 R$273

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.88 ¥268

$42.86 R$230

-11.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥541

$79.6 R$426

-3.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 ¥678

$73.6 R$394

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 ¥6,798

$656 R$3,515

46.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥3,958

$402 R$2,153

39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥17.7K

$1,279 R$6,851

95.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 ¥8,426

$751 R$4,023

58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K ¥100.8K

$2,855 R$15.3K

399.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,164 ¥50.7K

$2,031 R$10.9K

252.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,553 ¥11K

$809 R$4,333

92.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

11.56

-69.03%

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

Last update for Shanghai: November 29, 2025

Last update for Sao Paulo: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

Antalya

🇹🇷 Turkey

Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria