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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 29.2% more expensive than Xi'an without rent, and 68.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 33.3% more expensive than Xi'an without rent, and 84.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.97 ¥34.00

$2.80 ¥19.17

77.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.17 ¥247

$18.26 ¥125

98.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥37.09

$5.47 ¥37.40

-0.91%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ¥24.35

$3.49 ¥23.89

2.01%

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

$0.53 ¥3.65

$0.42 ¥2.89

26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.28

$0.26 ¥1.77

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 ¥9.24

$1.09 ¥7.49

23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥18.90

$1.78 ¥12.19

55.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.56

$1.55 ¥10.58

37.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ¥12.60

$1.63 ¥11.16

12.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.20

$0.80 ¥5.47

31.25%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.46

$1.60 ¥10.92

5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥107

$6.76 ¥46.23

130.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥22.16

$2.03 ¥13.91

59.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 ¥74.1

$9.22 ¥63.1

17.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥16.24

$1.66 ¥11.34

42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.59

$1.19 ¥8.16

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.29

$1.29 ¥8.84

39.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 ¥10.10

$0.80 ¥5.49

85.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.84

$0.65 ¥4.47

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥8.00

$0.57 ¥3.90

105.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.25

$0.52 ¥3.55

19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.16

$0.53 ¥3.60

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ¥19.20

$2.73 ¥18.64

2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥81.3

$8.67 ¥59.3

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.39

$0.77 ¥5.26

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.74

$1.71 ¥11.68

-8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.98

$0.48 ¥3.26

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 ¥239

$34.02 ¥233

2.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ¥15.35

$1.40 ¥9.58

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.59

$0.32 ¥2.21

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 ¥56.3

$4.22 ¥28.86

95.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.88

$1.13 ¥7.73

1.77%

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

$19.9K ¥136.0K

$21.1K ¥144.5K

-5.87%

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

$17.8K ¥122.0K

$16.1K ¥110.0K

10.88%

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

$52.2 ¥357

$46.52 ¥318

12.21%

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

$8.70 ¥59.5

$5.83 ¥39.89

49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥92.9

$11.99 ¥82.0

13.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.31 ¥317

$42.55 ¥291

8.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 ¥140

$16.57 ¥113

23.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ¥56.5

$4.79 ¥32.78

72.44%

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

$1,266 ¥8,662

$331 ¥2,264

282.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K ¥218.5K

$18.0K ¥122.8K

77.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥409

$53.9 ¥368

10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 ¥261

$37.72 ¥258

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 ¥528

$69.1 ¥473

11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 ¥658

$70.4 ¥481

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 ¥6,488

$258 ¥1,765

267.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥3,914

$193 ¥1,318

196.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,473 ¥16.9K

$504 ¥3,450

390.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,251

$375 ¥2,567

221.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.1K ¥96.4K

$2,363 ¥16.2K

496.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,213 ¥49.3K

$1,564 ¥10.7K

361.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 ¥11.5K

$1,001 ¥6,847

67.99%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Sanur, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova