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 12.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 1.6% cheaper than Sao Paulo without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$7.17 R$35.68

-30.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$40.10 R$200

-9.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$7.28 R$36.24

-25.55%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$2.11 R$10.52

68.72%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$1.24 R$6.18

-57.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.83 R$4.13

-60.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$2.17 R$10.82

-37.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$2.91 R$14.50

-5.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.06 R$5.30

100.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.85 R$9.20

-0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$1.36 R$6.75

-22.79%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$2.44 R$12.13

-31.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$11.05 R$55.0

41.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$4.17 R$20.75

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$9.22 R$45.90

17.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$2.77 R$13.80

-14.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.89 R$9.42

-10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$1.68 R$8.38

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$1.85 R$9.20

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$1.40 R$6.96

-39.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$1.28 R$6.38

-8.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$1.02 R$5.05

-39.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.69 R$3.43

-11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$2.59 R$12.92

8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$10.18 R$50.7

16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$1.35 R$6.72

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$2.35 R$11.70

-33.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.91 R$4.55

-51.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$44.34 R$221

-21.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.06 R$5.30

111.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.74 R$3.70

-48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$9.39 R$46.77

-12.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.06 R$5.29

8.49%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$21.3K R$105.9K

-6.46%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$28.4K R$141.5K

-37.24%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$55.7 R$277

-6.25%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$13.39 R$66.7

-35.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$20.49 R$102

-33.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$29.25 R$146

58.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$34.80 R$173

-41.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$7.91 R$39.40

4.42%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$499 R$2,487

153.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$15.5K R$77.1K

106.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$50.8 R$253

17.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$42.45 R$211

-9.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$79.4 R$396

-2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$72.1 R$359

33.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$673 R$3,349

41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$412 R$2,050

38.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$1,268 R$6,313

95.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$747 R$3,719

61.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$2,895 R$14.4K

386.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$2,164 R$10.8K

233.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$893 R$4,449

88.25%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: April 14, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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