Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $708 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Shanghai $1,222
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,174 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Shanghai $1,971
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,174

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,639 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Shanghai $2,720
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,639

Living in Shanghai is roughly 73% more expensive than in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.16

$3.71 ¥24.71

22.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$25.88 ¥173

16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.09

$4.68 ¥31.22

9.19%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.74

$3.18 ¥21.20

7.23%

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

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.44 ¥2.94

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.33 ¥2.21

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.88 ¥5.85

39.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.40

$1.49 ¥9.91

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$1.82 ¥12.12

3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.90

$1.19 ¥7.91

63.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.87 ¥5.81

12.64%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.32

$1.99 ¥13.26

-14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$19.03 ¥127

-10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.45

$3.78 ¥25.21

-14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.2

$6.11 ¥40.72

111.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$2.28 ¥15.20

-5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.50

$1.40 ¥9.32

23.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.53

$1.48 ¥9.89

37.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.32 ¥8.82

31.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$0.92 ¥6.14

-9.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.94 ¥6.30

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$0.67 ¥4.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.58 ¥3.86

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$3.68 ¥24.56

2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.5

$13.30 ¥88.7

-17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$0.82 ¥5.44

9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.52 ¥10.16

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.29 ¥1.92

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$16.68 ¥111

77.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.27

$1.96 ¥13.07

9.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.36 ¥2.37

30.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.3

$7.05 ¥46.97

23.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.23 ¥8.21

8.94%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

9.14%

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

$18.3K ¥121.8K

$18.1K ¥121.0K

0.74%

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

$58.9 ¥393

$18.87 ¥126

212.14%

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

$7.90 ¥52.6

$10.02 ¥66.8

-21.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.7

$11.05 ¥73.7

-4.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥432

$59.0 ¥393

9.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$15.56 ¥104

12.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.4

$7.46 ¥49.72

21.45%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$299 ¥1,993

430.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.2K

$17.7K ¥118.2K

59.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥364

$45.39 ¥303

20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$41.76 ¥278

-10.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥497

$59.8 ¥398

24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥708

$59.6 ¥397

78.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,837

$260 ¥1,730

295.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,728

$172 ¥1,143

226.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.5K

$604 ¥4,023

333.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,939

$369 ¥2,461

222.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.1K

$2,998 ¥20.0K

346.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.5K

$1,945 ¥13.0K

235.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$172 24.2% 69.3% $388

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 8.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.1% 24.2% $30

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$74 10.4% 10.9% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.6% 48.4% $37

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$22 3% 40.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $26 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $216 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

831,113

💱 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

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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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,222 vs $708 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,833 in Shanghai and $1,063 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $299 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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.

Expats usually find Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.