Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tengzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Tengzhou: $716 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Tengzhou
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Tengzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Tengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tengzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $716 in Tengzhou.

Shanghai $1,244
Tengzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,135 in Tengzhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Tengzhou $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,554 in Tengzhou.

Shanghai $2,755
Tengzhou $1,554

Living in Shanghai is roughly 74% more expensive than in Tengzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Tengzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$2.73 ¥18.28

67.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$21.24 ¥142

42.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.76 ¥31.81

10.29%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.95 ¥19.70

11.19%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.12

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.29 ¥1.95

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.93 ¥6.23

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.07 ¥13.82

9.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.82 ¥12.16

1.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.61 ¥10.78

21.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.92 ¥6.15

11.96%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.61 ¥10.74

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$13.03 ¥87.2

30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.13 ¥20.90

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$10.33 ¥69.1

24.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.89 ¥12.65

18.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.25 ¥8.36

32.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.49 ¥9.98

35.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.10 ¥7.35

50.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.70 ¥4.66

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.89 ¥5.93

4.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.55 ¥3.70

14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.51 ¥3.41

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.10 ¥20.72

22.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$10.43 ¥69.7

4.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.76 ¥5.07

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.63 ¥10.90

-1.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.27 ¥1.79

125.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$16.59 ¥111

77.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.41 ¥9.41

49.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.32 ¥2.17

34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$6.62 ¥44.24

36.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.13 ¥7.58

17.70%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-1.41%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.1K ¥114.2K

9.53%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$45.42 ¥304

27.28%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$9.97 ¥66.7

-18.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$11.66 ¥78.0

-10.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$42.61 ¥285

54.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$14.09 ¥94.2

26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.06 ¥40.50

47.69%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$329 ¥2,197

330.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

63.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$43.88 ¥293

23.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$30.30 ¥203

22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$71.7 ¥479

3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$72.2 ¥483

46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$273 ¥1,825

286.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$194 ¥1,294

202.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$601 ¥4,016

313.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$364 ¥2,436

238.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,978 ¥19.9K

367.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$2,032 ¥13.6K

207.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.89

-13.62%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tengzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Tengzhou

$194 27% 66.9% $391

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Tengzhou

$199 27.7% 15.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Tengzhou

$98 13.7% 19.5% $24

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Tengzhou

$83 11.6% 21.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Tengzhou

$55 7.6% 34.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Tengzhou

$67 9.4% 12.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Tengzhou

$21 2.9% 42.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $273 in Tengzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $21.00 in Tengzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $199 per month, with Tengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Tengzhou

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,553,200

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Tengzhou 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Tengzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tengzhou differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $716 including rent). Tengzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,074 in Tengzhou 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $273 in Tengzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $329 in Tengzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Tengzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tengzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Tengzhou 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 Tengzhou 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 Tengzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.