Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shantou Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shantou

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 12% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 75.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 29.2% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 80.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥33.95

$2.07 ¥14.13

140.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$16.42 ¥112

120.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.04

$4.78 ¥32.63

13.39%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.31

$3.17 ¥21.66

12.30%

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

$0.53 ¥3.64

$0.45 ¥3.05

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.30 ¥2.05

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.23

$0.83 ¥5.66

62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.87

$2.62 ¥17.89

5.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.54

$1.70 ¥11.61

25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.58

$1.35 ¥9.22

36.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.19

$0.68 ¥4.66

54.41%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.45

$1.83 ¥12.52

-8.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥106

$12.68 ¥86.6

22.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.13

$3.89 ¥26.56

-16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.0

$12.27 ¥83.8

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.22

$1.88 ¥12.83

26.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.57

$1.41 ¥9.60

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.27

$1.64 ¥11.18

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.09

$1.28 ¥8.74

15.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.83

$0.78 ¥5.35

8.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.99

$0.96 ¥6.54

21.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.64 ¥4.36

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.15

$0.41 ¥2.77

48.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.17

$3.44 ¥23.49

-18.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.2

$11.87 ¥81.1

0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.38

$0.76 ¥5.22

3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.72

$1.86 ¥12.72

-15.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.33 ¥2.29

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$22.35 ¥153

56.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.33

$1.49 ¥10.16

50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.33 ¥2.25

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.2

$6.83 ¥46.63

20.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.87

$1.14 ¥7.79

0.88%

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

$19.9K ¥135.8K

$21.0K ¥143.2K

-5.18%

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

$17.8K ¥121.8K

$19.0K ¥129.9K

-6.27%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$54.5 ¥372

-4.19%

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

$8.70 ¥59.4

$8.40 ¥57.4

3.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.7

$13.00 ¥88.8

4.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥316

$41.83 ¥286

10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$13.84 ¥94.5

47.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$6.90 ¥47.15

19.71%

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

$1,266 ¥8,649

$461 ¥3,152

174.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.2K

$20.9K ¥142.9K

52.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥408

$49.51 ¥338

20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$29.89 ¥204

27.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥527

$74.2 ¥507

4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥657

$78.1 ¥533

23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,478

$277 ¥1,894

242.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,908

$137 ¥938

316.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$559 ¥3,817

342.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,239

$274 ¥1,874

339.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.2K

$2,209 ¥15.1K

537.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$4,403 ¥30.1K

63.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$1,031 ¥7,043

63.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.04

-11.39%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: April 13, 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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