Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Xi'an Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Xi'an

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 25% more expensive than Xi'an without rent, and 72.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 35.6% more expensive than Xi'an without rent, and 85.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$2.76 ¥19.08

73.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$18.23 ¥126

96.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$5.62 ¥38.81

-3.91%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$3.38 ¥23.33

5.92%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$0.42 ¥2.92

40.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.26 ¥1.78

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$1.14 ¥7.89

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$1.77 ¥12.25

57.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$1.49 ¥10.29

42.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$1.61 ¥11.11

11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$0.86 ¥5.97

23.26%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$1.62 ¥11.23

0.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$6.93 ¥47.91

124.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$2.07 ¥14.29

49.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$8.87 ¥61.3

23.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$1.60 ¥11.03

41.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.18 ¥8.15

46.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$1.33 ¥9.18

36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$0.75 ¥5.21

93.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$0.66 ¥4.53

19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$0.56 ¥3.89

101.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.55 ¥3.79

23.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.56 ¥3.90

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$2.81 ¥19.44

-3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$7.27 ¥50.2

50.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$0.77 ¥5.34

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$1.76 ¥12.16

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.47 ¥3.26

-8.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$33.48 ¥231

2.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.37 ¥9.47

58.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$0.30 ¥2.07

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$4.06 ¥28.07

103.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.18 ¥8.12

-6.78%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$20.7K ¥143.3K

-5.78%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$15.9K ¥109.7K

12.75%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$45.31 ¥313

17.28%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$5.83 ¥40.28

48.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$12.01 ¥83.0

12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$43.59 ¥301

6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$16.48 ¥114

19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$4.90 ¥33.84

71.84%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$336 ¥2,323

276.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$17.9K ¥123.5K

74.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$55.8 ¥386

4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$38.04 ¥263

-1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$69.7 ¥482

11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$70.2 ¥485

36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$254 ¥1,753

274.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$195 ¥1,350

191.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$496 ¥3,429

409.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$375 ¥2,593

221.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$2,514 ¥17.4K

453.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$1,529 ¥10.6K

373.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$1,098 ¥7,588

53.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.32

-17.13%

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

Last update for Shanghai: March 2, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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