Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $889 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
Learn more

Suzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Suzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $889 in Suzhou.

Shanghai $1,222
Suzhou $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,471 in Suzhou.

Shanghai $1,971
Suzhou $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $2,053 in Suzhou.

Shanghai $2,720
Suzhou $2,053

Living in Shanghai is roughly 38% more expensive than in Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Suzhou 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$4.12 ¥27.39

9.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$30.26 ¥201

-0.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$5.21 ¥34.60

-1.92%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.39 ¥22.55

0.59%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.69 ¥4.56

-15.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.42 ¥2.76

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$2.29 ¥15.23

-46.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$4.37 ¥29.01

-47.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.92 ¥12.73

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.96 ¥13.01

-1.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.30 ¥8.61

-24.62%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.81 ¥12.03

-6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$17.95 ¥119

-5.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$3.39 ¥22.50

-5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$8.74 ¥58.1

47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.98 ¥13.16

8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.24 ¥8.23

39.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.35 ¥8.96

50.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.44 ¥9.55

20.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.64 ¥4.28

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.19 ¥7.90

-22.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.85 ¥5.62

-21.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.56 ¥3.71

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$4.47 ¥29.72

-15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$8.86 ¥58.9

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.07 ¥7.09

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$2.14 ¥14.19

-25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.31 ¥2.06

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$44.83 ¥298

-33.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.70 ¥11.31

25.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.36 ¥2.39

30.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$10.01 ¥66.5

-12.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.34 ¥8.89

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.5K ¥129.3K

-1.09%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$18.0K ¥119.7K

1.47%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$99.9 ¥664

-41.04%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$12.89 ¥85.7

-38.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$11.35 ¥75.4

-6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$34.10 ¥227

90.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$19.04 ¥127

-8.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$5.90 ¥39.22

53.56%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$1,237 ¥8,217

28.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$21.4K ¥142.5K

31.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$51.4 ¥341

6.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$41.03 ¥273

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$83.9 ¥557

-11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$86.7 ¥576

22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$388 ¥2,580

164.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$217 ¥1,442

157.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$1,019 ¥6,772

156.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$560 ¥3,723

112.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$4,826 ¥32.1K

177.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$2,609 ¥17.3K

150.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,367 ¥9,084

25.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.53

-4.82%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Suzhou

$217 24.4% 61.2% $342

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Suzhou

$220 24.7% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Suzhou

$118 13.3% 3.5% $4.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Suzhou

$114 12.8% 6.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Suzhou

$46 5.2% 44.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Suzhou

$124 14% 60.4% $47

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Suzhou

$50 5.6% 36.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $388 in Suzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 25% 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 in Shanghai vs $30 in Suzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $220, with Suzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

12,748,262

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Suzhou 81 km

From you

Shanghai
Suzhou

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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $889 in Suzhou, so Suzhou is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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 $388 in Suzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $889 in Suzhou – Suzhou is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $889 in Suzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suzhou 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 – Suzhou wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.