Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Suzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Suzhou

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 9.7% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 6.2% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 20.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$4.11 ¥28.66

16.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$42.61 ¥297

-15.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$5.52 ¥38.55

-1.27%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$3.91 ¥27.33

-12.53%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$1.68 ¥11.73

-65.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.77 ¥5.36

-55.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$4.20 ¥29.30

-66.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$5.62 ¥39.20

-50.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$2.37 ¥16.53

-11.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$2.50 ¥17.47

-26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$1.17 ¥8.14

-5.98%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$2.04 ¥14.23

-21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$20.65 ¥144

-26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$3.67 ¥25.64

-16.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$7.65 ¥53.4

41.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$2.05 ¥14.29

13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.65 ¥11.50

7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.52 ¥10.59

17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$1.32 ¥9.20

11.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$0.68 ¥4.77

19.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$1.19 ¥8.29

-2.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$1.01 ¥7.04

-37.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.51 ¥3.57

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$4.28 ¥29.85

-35.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$10.15 ¥70.9

13.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.87 ¥6.10

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$2.73 ¥19.03

-41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.27 ¥1.86

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$41.54 ¥290

-17.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.85 ¥12.94

23.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.33 ¥2.28

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$8.11 ¥56.6

2.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.20 ¥8.40

-4.17%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$20.5K ¥142.9K

-4.02%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$23.8K ¥166.4K

-23.38%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$116 ¥811

-55.19%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$15.16 ¥106

-42.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$11.32 ¥79.0

22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$66.3 ¥463

-29.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$19.57 ¥137

1.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$7.13 ¥49.77

16.13%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$768 ¥5,360

68.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$17.2K ¥119.9K

79.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$53.8 ¥375

11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$36.41 ¥254

4.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$71.3 ¥497

8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$94.1 ¥657

5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$404 ¥2,818

133.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$209 ¥1,458

172.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$958 ¥6,687

156.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$517 ¥3,606

132.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$5,995 ¥41.8K

137.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$2,919 ¥20.4K

142.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,341 ¥9,360

21.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.86

-7.25%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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