Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Wenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Wenzhou: $628 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Wenzhou
Learn more

Wenzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Wenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Wenzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $628 in Wenzhou.

Shanghai $1,244
Wenzhou $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,059 in Wenzhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Wenzhou $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,489 in Wenzhou.

Shanghai $2,755
Wenzhou $1,489

Living in Shanghai is roughly 98% more expensive than in Wenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Wenzhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.01 ¥20.10

51.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$30.38 ¥203

-0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$7.66 ¥51.2

-31.46%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.65 ¥17.75

23.77%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.52 ¥3.50

9.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.30 ¥2.02

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.86 ¥5.73

43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.03 ¥20.28

-25.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.08 ¥13.94

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.95 ¥13.01

0.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.31 ¥8.78

-21.37%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.98 ¥13.21

-15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$7.61 ¥50.9

122.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$2.18 ¥14.61

46.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$9.49 ¥63.4

35.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.90 ¥12.74

17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.79 ¥11.95

-7.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.69 ¥11.31

19.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.12 ¥7.46

48.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.61 ¥4.09

26.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.72 ¥4.81

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.47 ¥3.12

34.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.59 ¥3.95

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.37 ¥22.57

12.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$13.24 ¥88.5

-17.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.22 ¥8.16

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.23 ¥8.21

30.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.29 ¥1.91

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.68 ¥11.25

25.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.35 ¥2.35

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.75 ¥51.8

16.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.26 ¥8.46

5.56%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

-2.46%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.5K ¥103.9K

20.35%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$29.91 ¥200

93.28%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$6.60 ¥44.11

22.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$8.89 ¥59.4

17.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$13.62 ¥91.1

382.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$26.79 ¥179

-33.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$7.60 ¥50.8

17.76%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$1,247 ¥8,340

13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$9,703 ¥64.9K

187.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$43.55 ¥291

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$18.78 ¥126

97.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$96.5 ¥645

-23.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$44.71 ¥299

136.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$240 ¥1,603

340.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$170 ¥1,135

244.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$632 ¥4,228

293.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$363 ¥2,428

239.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,065 ¥27.2K

242.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$2,598 ¥17.4K

140.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$868 ¥5,803

97.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.46

-2.89%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wenzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Wenzhou

$170 27% 71% $415

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Wenzhou

$196 31.1% 16.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Wenzhou

$92 14.6% 24.9% $30

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Wenzhou

$93 14.7% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Wenzhou

$29 4.6% 65.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Wenzhou

$45 7.2% 40.6% $31

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Wenzhou

$4.6 * 0.7% 87.3% $32

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 $1,055 in Shanghai and $240 in Wenzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 97% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $30.00 in Wenzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $196, with Wenzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Wenzhou

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

9,300,000

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Wenzhou 370 km

From you

Shanghai
Wenzhou

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 Wenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Wenzhou differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $628 including rent). Wenzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $240 in Wenzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $628 in Wenzhou – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in Wenzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wenzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Wenzhou 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.

Expats usually find Wenzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.