Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tonghua Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tonghua

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 20.3% more expensive than Tonghua without rent, and 69.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 28.1% more expensive than Tonghua without rent, and 75.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.97 ¥33.95
$2.85 ¥19.44
74.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥247
$20.73 ¥142
74.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.42 ¥37.04
$4.85 ¥33.13
11.75%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥24.31
$2.94 ¥20.08
21.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.64
$0.43 ¥2.96
23.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ¥2.28
$0.29 ¥2.01
13.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 ¥9.23
$0.96 ¥6.52
40.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥18.87
$2.11 ¥14.44
30.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ¥14.54
$1.61 ¥11.00
32.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 ¥12.58
$1.59 ¥10.89
15.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.19
$0.95 ¥6.51
10.53%
Eggs
$1.68 ¥11.45
$1.57 ¥10.71
7.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.58 ¥106
$13.05 ¥89.1
19.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 ¥22.13
$3.08 ¥21.06
5.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.83 ¥74.0
$10.24 ¥69.9
5.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 ¥16.22
$1.75 ¥11.93
35.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.57
$1.26 ¥8.61
34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.27
$1.36 ¥9.27
32.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 ¥10.09
$1.14 ¥7.80
29.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥5.83
$0.67 ¥4.60
26.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥7.99
$0.97 ¥6.66
20.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.25
$0.61 ¥4.16
1.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.15
$0.51 ¥3.46
19.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.81 ¥19.17
$3.08 ¥21.04
-8.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.89 ¥81.2
$10.08 ¥68.9
17.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.38
$0.78 ¥5.33
1.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 ¥10.72
$1.63 ¥11.16
-3.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥2.98
$0.29 ¥2.00
51.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.93 ¥239
$16.90 ¥115
106.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ¥15.33
$1.35 ¥9.21
65.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.59
$0.35 ¥2.39
8.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.23 ¥56.2
$6.49 ¥44.30
26.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥7.87
$1.18 ¥8.08
-2.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K ¥135.8K
$19.2K ¥131.0K
3.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.8K ¥121.8K
$17.0K ¥116.2K
4.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 ¥357
$45.42 ¥310
14.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.70 ¥59.4
$9.70 ¥66.2
-10.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.58 ¥92.7
$11.78 ¥80.4
15.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.31 ¥316
$41.73 ¥285
10.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.45 ¥140
$14.03 ¥95.8
45.76%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 ¥56.5
$6.24 ¥42.62
32.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,266 ¥8,649
$342 ¥2,339
269.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.9K ¥218.2K
$16.8K ¥114.7K
90.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ¥408
$42.96 ¥293
39.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.23 ¥261
$30.12 ¥206
26.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 ¥527
$71.1 ¥485
8.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.2 ¥657
$75.7 ¥517
27.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$948 ¥6,478
$279 ¥1,907
239.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ¥3,908
$184 ¥1,259
210.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,473 ¥16.9K
$592 ¥4,041
317.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,206 ¥8,239
$366 ¥2,498
229.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K ¥96.2K
$3,142 ¥21.5K
348.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,213 ¥49.3K
$2,001 ¥13.7K
260.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Tonghua
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,682 ¥11.5K
$504 ¥3,444
233.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
3.87
-7.49%

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

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: April 12, 2026

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