Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $691 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Shantou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Shantou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $691 in Shantou.

Shanghai $1,222
Shantou $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,107 in Shantou.

Shanghai $1,971
Shantou $1,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,524 in Shantou.

Shanghai $2,720
Shantou $1,524

Living in Shanghai is roughly 77% more expensive than in Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$2.28 ¥15.17

98.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$23.55 ¥157

28.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$5.27 ¥35.00

-3.04%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.29 ¥21.86

3.65%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.14

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.04

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$0.93 ¥6.21

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$2.22 ¥14.78

4.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.61 ¥10.68

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.47 ¥9.77

31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.78 ¥5.17

25.64%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.70 ¥11.32

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.70 ¥91.0

24.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$3.29 ¥21.86

-2.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$12.93 ¥86.0

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$2.05 ¥13.63

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.57 ¥10.46

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.83 ¥12.16

10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.38 ¥9.15

25.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.85 ¥5.67

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.01 ¥6.71

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.59 ¥3.94

13.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.43 ¥2.84

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$11.80 ¥78.4

-6.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.84 ¥5.55

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.74 ¥11.57

-8.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.38 ¥2.54

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$24.13 ¥160

22.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.46 ¥9.71

46.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.39 ¥2.58

20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$7.39 ¥49.13

18.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.24 ¥8.27

8.06%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

-2.25%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$18.2K ¥120.8K

0.54%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$58.3 ¥388

0.99%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$9.17 ¥60.9

-13.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$13.84 ¥92.0

-23.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$7.42 ¥49.29

22.10%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$527 ¥3,505

200.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$24.3K ¥161.8K

15.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$55.2 ¥367

-1.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$40.48 ¥269

-8.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$72.4 ¥481

2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$92.9 ¥617

14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$295 ¥1,963

247.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$148 ¥984

277.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$590 ¥3,924

343.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$301 ¥1,998

296.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$2,209 ¥14.7K

505.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$4,479 ¥29.8K

45.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,070 ¥7,110

60.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Shantou

$148 21.4% 73.5% $411

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Shantou

$214 31% 9.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Shantou

$117 17% 4.2% $5.2

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Shantou

$86 12.4% 19.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 82.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Shantou

$81 11.8% 5.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 20.1% $7.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $295 in Shantou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 60% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $24 in Shantou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $214 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Shantou 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $691 in Shantou, so Shantou is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $295 in Shantou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $527 in Shantou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Shantou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shantou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.