Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Taizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $774 in Taizhou.

Shanghai $1,256
Taizhou $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,255 in Taizhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Taizhou $1,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,735 in Taizhou.

Shanghai $2,743
Taizhou $1,735

Living in Shanghai is roughly 62% more expensive than in Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Taizhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.70

$3.76 ¥25.05

18.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥202

$25.85 ¥172

17.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥33.93

$4.54 ¥30.25

12.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.90

$3.43 ¥22.87

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

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.53 ¥3.56

16.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$0.29 ¥1.91

34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.17 ¥7.82

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.77

$2.27 ¥15.15

-2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.34

$1.87 ¥12.44

-1.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥12.99

$1.65 ¥11.00

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.65

$0.54 ¥3.59

85.19%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.41

$1.18 ¥7.87

44.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$19.42 ¥130

-10.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.61

$3.66 ¥24.44

-11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.6

$10.17 ¥67.9

27.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.95

$1.19 ¥7.95

88.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.33 ¥8.87

26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$1.52 ¥10.15

28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.57

$1.61 ¥10.75

7.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.09

$0.74 ¥4.95

2.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.93 ¥6.22

-1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.68 ¥4.53

-2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.58 ¥3.87

3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.59

$4.22 ¥28.12

-12.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥72.9

$13.50 ¥90.0

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.83

$0.43 ¥2.89

102.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.64 ¥10.95

-0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.29 ¥1.93

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$18.07 ¥121

68.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$1.22 ¥8.10

68.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.39 ¥2.58

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.0

$7.02 ¥46.81

25.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.28 ¥8.55

3.91%

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

$19.3K ¥128.4K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

-0.93%

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

$18.2K ¥121.7K

$16.3K ¥108.8K

11.88%

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

$57.1 ¥381

$48.64 ¥324

17.41%

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

$8.07 ¥53.8

$8.88 ¥59.2

-9.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.3

$11.43 ¥76.2

-6.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥431

$41.01 ¥274

57.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥115

$15.17 ¥101

13.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.3

$7.43 ¥49.56

21.80%

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

$1,441 ¥9,614

$564 ¥3,761

155.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.0K

$35.6K ¥237.4K

-20.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥357

$33.06 ¥220

61.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥247

$42.37 ¥283

-12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$83.2 ¥555

-7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥693

$108 ¥722

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,825

$299 ¥1,994

242.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,961

$185 ¥1,236

220.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$640 ¥4,267

300.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,088

$380 ¥2,537

218.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.2K

$3,418 ¥22.8K

295.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.7K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

215.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.3K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Taizhou

$185 23.9% 68.8% $409

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Taizhou

$223 28.9% 5.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Taizhou

$120 15.5% 1.7% $2

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 7.7% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Taizhou

$56 7.2% 32.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Taizhou

$69 8.9% 9.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Taizhou

$22 2.9% 39.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $299 in Taizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $26 in Taizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $223 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

615,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Taizhou differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $774 including rent). Taizhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,162 in Taizhou 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $299 in Taizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $564 in Taizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Taizhou 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 Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.