Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Wuxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuxi: $758 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Wuxi
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Wuxi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Wuxi

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Wuxi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $758 in Wuxi.

Shanghai $1,222
Wuxi $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,199 in Wuxi.

Shanghai $1,971
Wuxi $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,639 in Wuxi.

Shanghai $2,720
Wuxi $1,639

Living in Shanghai is roughly 61% more expensive than in Wuxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Wuxi 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$3.68 ¥24.49

23.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$23.69 ¥157

27.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$4.60 ¥30.60

11.09%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.13 ¥20.77

8.95%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.52 ¥3.47

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.32 ¥2.13

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.47 ¥9.75

-16.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$3.05 ¥20.28

-24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.83 ¥12.14

2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$2.15 ¥14.26

-9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.10 ¥7.34

-10.91%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.92 ¥12.73

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.83 ¥91.9

23.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$3.34 ¥22.16

-3.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$11.43 ¥76.0

13.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$2.66 ¥17.68

-19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.31 ¥8.68

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.63 ¥10.82

24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.17 ¥7.78

47.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.64 ¥4.26

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.80 ¥5.33

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.63 ¥4.19

6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.58 ¥3.88

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$5.29 ¥35.17

-28.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$11.77 ¥78.2

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.93 ¥6.16

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$2.17 ¥14.43

-26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.43 ¥2.86

32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$18.44 ¥123

60.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.53 ¥10.18

39.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.43 ¥2.85

9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$8.73 ¥58.0

0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.28 ¥8.49

4.69%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.5K ¥129.7K

-1.35%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$18.8K ¥125.2K

-2.95%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$36.25 ¥241

62.48%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$11.66 ¥77.5

-32.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$27.85 ¥185

-61.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$47.29 ¥314

37.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$7.25 ¥48.15

140.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$5.87 ¥39.04

54.34%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$436 ¥2,897

263.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$16.2K ¥107.5K

74.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$35.17 ¥234

55.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$21.96 ¥146

69.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$65.6 ¥436

13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$44.15 ¥293

140.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$332 ¥2,204

209.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$204 ¥1,353

174.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$583 ¥3,871

349.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$385 ¥2,556

209.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$3,637 ¥24.2K

267.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,969 ¥13.1K

231.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,059 ¥7,038

61.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.13

7.35%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wuxi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Wuxi

$204 26.9% 63.6% $356

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Wuxi

$223 29.5% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Wuxi

$75 9.9% 38.8% $48

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Wuxi

$98 12.9% 8.8% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Wuxi

$59 7.8% 28.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Wuxi

$76 10% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Wuxi

$24 3.1% 34.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $332 in Wuxi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $24 in Wuxi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $223 per month, with Wuxi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Wuxi

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

7,462,135

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shanghai vs Wuxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $758 in Wuxi, so Wuxi is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $332 in Wuxi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $436 in Wuxi. 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.

At $758 in Wuxi versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Wuxi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Wuxi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wuxi 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 Wuxi 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.