Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,112 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
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Sibiu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sibiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,112 in Sibiu.

Shanghai $1,256
Sibiu $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,654 in Sibiu.

Shanghai $1,999
Sibiu $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,197 in Sibiu.

Shanghai $2,743
Sibiu $2,197

Living in Shanghai is roughly 13% more expensive than in Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Sibiu 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$8.50 RON 40.21

-47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$42.33 RON 200

-28.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$7.48 RON 35.37

-31.95%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.27 RON 15.48

4.89%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$2.01 RON 9.50

-69.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$1.76 RON 8.33

-77.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.09 RON 14.60

-60.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.87 RON 18.31

-42.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.43 RON 6.78

29.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.14 RON 5.40

71.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$1.36 RON 6.43

-26.47%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$3.47 RON 16.41

-50.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$7.95 RON 37.60

119.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$5.86 RON 27.73

-44.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$8.04 RON 38.05

61.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.15 RON 5.44

94.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$1.57 RON 7.43

7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.44 RON 6.80

35.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$2.54 RON 12.02

-31.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.66 RON 3.13

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.60 RON 2.84

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.99 RON 4.68

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.85 RON 4.03

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$5.90 RON 27.92

-37.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$7.46 RON 35.28

46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.92 RON 4.36

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.40 RON 6.61

16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.71 RON 3.34

-12.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$17.14 RON 81.1

77.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$0.91 RON 4.28

126.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.80 RON 3.79

-42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$8.24 RON 39.00

7.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.94 RON 9.19

-31.44%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-33.21%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$25.6K RON 121.1K

-28.74%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$117 RON 551

-51.00%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$9.07 RON 42.90

-11.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$12.40 RON 58.7

-13.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$35.35 RON 167

82.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$14.48 RON 68.5

19.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$6.77 RON 32.04

33.68%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$449 RON 2,123

221.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$6,702 RON 31.7K

320.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$74.7 RON 353

-28.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.65 RON 150

17.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$87.3 RON 413

-11.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$88.0 RON 416

18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$450 RON 2,131

127.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$410 RON 1,938

44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$837 RON 3,960

206.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$606 RON 2,867

100.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$2,501 RON 11.8K

440.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$2,022 RON 9,566

208.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$1,111 RON 5,257

52.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

7.02

-52.14%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Sibiu

$410 36.8% 31% $184

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Sibiu

$196 17.6% 17.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Sibiu

$127 11.4% 3.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Sibiu

$168 15.1% 57.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Sibiu

$49 4.4% 40.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Sibiu

$138 12.4% 81.9% $62

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Sibiu

$25 2.2% 33.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $450 in Sibiu. 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 $42.00 in Sibiu. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $196, with Sibiu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

19:57 7:57 PM

5 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

147,245

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Sibiu 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Sibiu differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,112 including rent). Sibiu 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $450 in Sibiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $449 in Sibiu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,112 in Sibiu versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibiu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Sibiu 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Sibiu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sibiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.