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

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 7.5% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 24% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 9.4% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.73 ¥33.92

$4.11 ¥29.45

15.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥259

$41.31 ¥296

-12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.6 ¥40.18

$5.61 ¥40.27

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥25.53

$4.04 ¥28.94

-11.88%

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

$0.54 ¥3.9

$1.73 ¥12.44

-68.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.59

$0.74 ¥5.27

-51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 ¥10.25

$4.1 ¥29.44

-65.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥19.81

$5.71 ¥40.99

-51.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥15.66

$2.34 ¥16.8

-6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ¥13

$2.4 ¥17.25

-24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.1 ¥7.9

$1.16 ¥8.34

-5.17%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥12.1

$1.94 ¥13.92

-12.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.79 ¥113

$20.89 ¥150

-24.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥22.76

$3.73 ¥26.79

-15.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.88 ¥78.1

$7.92 ¥56.8

37.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥16.24

$2.05 ¥14.72

10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.98

$1.56 ¥11.18

7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.78

$1.6 ¥11.48

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.94

$1.32 ¥9.5

15.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥6.09

$0.64 ¥4.57

32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.37

$1.13 ¥8.12

3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.84

$1.01 ¥7.27

-32.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.6 ¥4.29

$0.5 ¥3.59

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ¥20.56

$4.29 ¥30.81

-33.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 ¥80

$12.56 ¥90.1

-11.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.8 ¥5.73

$0.89 ¥6.4

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥11.22

$2.79 ¥20.02

-44.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.4 ¥2.89

$0.27 ¥1.93

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.15 ¥252

$41.38 ¥297

-15.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥16.45

$1.84 ¥13.18

24.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.69

$0.33 ¥2.35

12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 ¥58.4

$8.33 ¥59.8

-2.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥7.81

$1.15 ¥8.24

-5.22%

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

$19.5K ¥140.1K

$21.2K ¥152.1K

-7.84%

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

$18.2K ¥130.5K

$23.4K ¥167.9K

-22.26%

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

$51.6 ¥370

$116 ¥835

-55.71%

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

$8.68 ¥62.2

$14.75 ¥106

-41.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.5 ¥96.8

$11.69 ¥83.8

15.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥333

$66.1 ¥474

-29.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.44 ¥147

$18.97 ¥136

7.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 ¥61.5

$6.84 ¥49.05

25.44%

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

$1,307 ¥9,378

$766 ¥5,497

70.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K ¥225.4K

$16.6K ¥119.2K

89.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 ¥422

$53.3 ¥382

10.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 ¥265

$36.08 ¥259

2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥558

$72.8 ¥522

6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 ¥706

$92.8 ¥665

6.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 ¥6,827

$406 ¥2,909

134.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥4,115

$208 ¥1,492

175.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 ¥18.1K

$983 ¥7,049

156.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ¥8,614

$509 ¥3,648

136.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K ¥103.2K

$5,665 ¥40.6K

154.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,106 ¥51K

$2,919 ¥20.9K

143.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,534 ¥11K

$1,180 ¥8,463

29.99%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Suzhou: October 29, 2025

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