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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 0.9% more expensive than Sao Paulo without rent, and 16.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 3.3% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$7.35 R$38.60

-34.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$39.70 R$208

-9.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$7.36 R$38.65

-26.63%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$2.02 R$10.58

77.23%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$1.20 R$6.31

-50.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.91 R$4.77

-62.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$2.12 R$11.14

-34.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$2.94 R$15.44

-5.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$1.07 R$5.62

99.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$1.78 R$9.33

0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$1.36 R$7.12

-22.06%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$2.36 R$12.37

-30.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$11.16 R$58.6

39.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$4.36 R$22.88

-28.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$9.14 R$47.99

20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$2.73 R$14.34

-17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.91 R$10.02

-9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$1.64 R$8.63

10.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$1.82 R$9.57

-20.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$1.42 R$7.46

-44.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$1.30 R$6.83

-13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.94 R$4.92

-27.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.73 R$3.83

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$2.55 R$13.41

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$9.71 R$51.0

12.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$1.34 R$7.04

-38.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$2.33 R$12.21

-30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.94 R$4.92

-54.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$44.94 R$236

-23.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.06 R$5.56

104.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$0.75 R$3.92

-49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$9.36 R$49.15

-11.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.09 R$5.74

0.92%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$21.5K R$112.8K

-9.03%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$28.8K R$151.1K

-37.80%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$54.9 R$288

-3.24%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$13.12 R$68.9

-34.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$20.01 R$105

-32.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$29.15 R$153

59.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$35.83 R$188

-44.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$7.95 R$41.76

5.91%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$507 R$2,661

149.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$15.5K R$81.3K

101.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$50.9 R$267

14.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$42.83 R$225

-12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$79.5 R$417

-2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$74.5 R$391

29.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$667 R$3,504

42.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$413 R$2,166

37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$1,307 R$6,863

93.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$762 R$4,001

58.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$2,834 R$14.9K

390.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$2,141 R$11.2K

238.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$828 R$4,345

103.88%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: March 1, 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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