Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tamuning

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Tamuning: $1,250 and $1,269 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Tamuning
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Tamuning Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Tamuning

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tamuning

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,269 in Tamuning.

Shanghai $1,250
Tamuning $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,824 in Tamuning.

Shanghai $2,019
Tamuning $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,379 in Tamuning.

Shanghai $2,789
Tamuning $2,379

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 2% less than in Tamuning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Tamuning 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$14.98 $14.98

-69.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$54.9 $54.9

-46.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$14.94 $14.94

-65.86%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$5.43 $5.43

-37.02%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$2.92 $2.92

-79.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$1.23 $1.23

-70.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$6.69 $6.69

-81.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$15.21 $15.21

-84.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$3.42 $3.42

-45.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$6.93 $6.93

-71.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$2.40 $2.40

-57.50%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$7.04 $7.04

-75.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$8.13 $8.13

-73.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$3.12 $3.12

-44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$4.86 $4.86

-60.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$7.57 $7.57

-77.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$4.08 $4.08

-81.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$2.83 $2.83

-67.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$9.29 $9.29

-58.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$12.23 $12.23

-10.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$20.20 $20.20

-89.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$1.37 $1.37

-7.30%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$26.6K $26.6K

-30.12%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$441 $441

-87.03%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$76.4 $76.4

-89.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$94.1 $94.1

-88.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$405 $405

254.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$1,281 $1,281

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tamuning: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Tamuning

$300 * 24.2% 26.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Tamuning

$310 25% 189% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Tamuning

$612 49.2% 707% $536

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Tamuning

$20 * 1.6% 45.4% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $1,281 in Tamuning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $55.0 in Tamuning for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $300 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇬🇺 Tamuning

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

19,685

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Tamuning 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Tamuning

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 Tamuning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tamuning differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $1,269 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,874 in Shanghai and $1,903 in Tamuning 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $1,281 in Tamuning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Tamuning. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,250 per month in Shanghai versus $1,269 in Tamuning – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,269 in Tamuning, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Tamuning. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Tamuning are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Tamuning. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.