Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shenyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
Learn more

Shenyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Shenyang

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 Shenyang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $718 in Shenyang.

Shanghai $1,244
Shenyang $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,071 in Shenyang.

Shanghai $1,999
Shenyang $1,071

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,424 in Shenyang.

Shanghai $2,755
Shenyang $1,424

Living in Shanghai is roughly 73% more expensive than in Shenyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Shenyang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.00 ¥20.07

52.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$22.24 ¥149

35.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.08 ¥33.98

3.35%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.46 ¥16.45

33.33%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.17

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.38 ¥2.54

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.87 ¥5.79

41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.82 ¥12.16

24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.89 ¥12.67

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.46 ¥16.46

-20.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.08 ¥7.19

-4.63%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.03 ¥6.88

62.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.99 ¥80.2

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.78 ¥11.91

25.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.19 ¥7.94

39.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.53 ¥10.23

8.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.61 ¥4.08

3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.64 ¥4.27

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.77 ¥25.17

0.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$16.53 ¥111

-34.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.66 ¥4.40

24.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.09 ¥7.27

47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.38 ¥2.57

60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$12.91 ¥86.3

127.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.35 ¥9.04

56.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.31 ¥2.10

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$2.96 ¥19.78

206.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.29 ¥8.65

3.10%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.1K ¥127.7K

-0.35%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

2.14%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$75.4 ¥504

-23.31%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$15.87 ¥106

-49.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$14.87 ¥99.4

-29.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$22.27 ¥149

194.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$10.79 ¥72.1

65.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.09 ¥40.75

46.96%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$539 ¥3,606

162.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$21.3K ¥142.1K

31.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$42.49 ¥284

27.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$59.5 ¥398

24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$69.5 ¥465

51.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$277 ¥1,850

281.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$242 ¥1,619

141.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$558 ¥3,734

345.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$393 ¥2,625

213.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,272 ¥15.2K

513.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,308 ¥8,745

378.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,115 ¥7,454

53.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

4.37

-23.11%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Shenyang

$242 33.7% 58.6% $343

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3% 31.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8% 36.7% $45

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Shenyang

$80 11.2% 24.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Shenyang

$34 4.8% 58.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Shenyang

$106 14.8% 38.9% $30

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Shenyang

$17 2.4% 51.9% $19

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 $1,055 in Shanghai and $277 in Shenyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 53% 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $22.00 in Shenyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $160 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

9,199,601

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Shenyang 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Shenyang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Shenyang differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $718 including rent). Shenyang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $277 in Shenyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $539 in Shenyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $718 in Shenyang versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.