Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sivas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sivas: $967 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Sivas
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Sivas Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Sivas

🇹🇷 Turkey

$967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sivas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $967 in Sivas.

Shanghai $1,222
Sivas $967

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,444 in Sivas.

Shanghai $1,971
Sivas $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,922 in Sivas.

Shanghai $2,720
Sivas $1,922

Living in Shanghai is roughly 26% more expensive than in Sivas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Sivas 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$9.97 ₺497

-54.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$59.3 ₺2,953

-49.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$10.49 ₺523

-51.29%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$4.05 ₺202

-15.80%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.79 ₺39.19

-26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ₺14.30

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.84 ₺91.6

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.03 ₺101

13.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$0.94 ₺46.83

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$0.77 ₺38.24

151.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$2.48 ₺124

-60.48%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.56 ₺127

-33.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$8.40 ₺419

102.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$2.82 ₺141

14.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$19.86 ₺990

-34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$2.05 ₺102

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.58 ₺78.8

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$0.79 ₺39.33

156.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.03 ₺51.2

67.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.42 ₺20.89

97.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.29 ₺14.63

217.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.80 ₺39.75

-16.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.63 ₺31.19

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$2.15 ₺107

75.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$8.92 ₺445

23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.67 ₺83.0

-46.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.30 ₺115

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.48 ₺23.95

18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$15.32 ₺763

93.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.97 ₺98.4

8.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.61 ₺30.61

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$6.35 ₺316

37.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.33 ₺66.2

0.75%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$41.1K ₺2.0M

-53.17%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$40.0K ₺2.0M

-54.27%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$89.0 ₺4,437

-33.85%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$12.43 ₺619

-36.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$12.33 ₺614

-14.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$30.25 ₺1,507

114.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$4.03 ₺201

124.81%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$249 ₺12.4K

536.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$30.19 ₺1,504

80.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$61.3 ₺3,056

-39.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$78.8 ₺3,927

-5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$59.5 ₺2,964

78.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$459 ₺22.9K

123.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$304 ₺15.1K

84.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$505 ₺25.1K

418.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$306 ₺15.3K

289.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$901 ₺44.9K

90.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

-90.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sivas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Sivas

$304 31.4% 45.7% $255

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Sivas

$207 21.5% 12.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Sivas

$103 10.7% 15.7% $19

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Sivas

$177 18.4% 65.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Sivas

$38 4% 53.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Sivas

$114 11.8% 47% $36

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Sivas

$22 2.3% 38.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $459 in Sivas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $59 in Sivas. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $207, with Sivas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇹🇷 Sivas

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

5 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

621,224

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Sivas 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Sivas

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 Sivas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $967 in Sivas, so Sivas is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% 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 $459 in Sivas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $249 in Sivas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Sivas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sivas wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.