Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yakutsk

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Yakutsk: $1,250 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Yakutsk
Learn more

Yakutsk Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Yakutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yakutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,244 in Yakutsk.

Shanghai $1,250
Yakutsk $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,809 in Yakutsk.

Shanghai $2,019
Yakutsk $1,809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,374 in Yakutsk.

Shanghai $2,789
Yakutsk $2,374

Monthly costs are close between Shanghai and Yakutsk; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Yakutsk 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$14.07 ₽1,196

-67.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$40.58 ₽3,450

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$9.07 ₽771

-43.77%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$4.06 ₽345

-15.76%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$1.72 ₽146

-64.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.92 ₽78.4

-60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$3.56 ₽303

-66.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$2.33 ₽198

-1.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.81 ₽154

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$0.93 ₽78.9

116.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$1.64 ₽139

-37.80%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$2.21 ₽188

-22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$13.71 ₽1,166

25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$7.95 ₽676

-57.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$11.99 ₽1,019

6.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$2.98 ₽253

-27.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$2.38 ₽202

-26.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$3.01 ₽256

-35.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$4.94 ₽420

-65.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.15 ₽98.1

-33.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.15 ₽98.2

-19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$1.16 ₽98.9

-46.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.05 ₽89.3

-44.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$9.30 ₽791

17.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.37 ₽116

-38.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$2.92 ₽248

-45.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.69 ₽58.7

-14.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$19.37 ₽1,647

56.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.86 ₽158

10.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.20 ₽16.99

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$4.85 ₽412

81.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$0.87 ₽74.2

45.98%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$18.0K ₽1.5M

8.88%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$18.9K ₽1.6M

-1.93%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$193 ₽16.4K

-70.38%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$4.72 ₽402

70.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$10.74 ₽913

-2.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$71.5 ₽6,080

-9.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$7.14 ₽607

23.81%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$461 ₽39.2K

211.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$875 ₽74.4K

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$409 ₽34.8K

43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,188 ₽101.0K

109.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$595 ₽50.6K

107.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$2,145 ₽182.4K

533.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,920 ₽163.2K

222.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$926 ₽78.7K

85.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

-84.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Yakutsk: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Yakutsk

$409 33.2% 30.5% $180

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Yakutsk

$280 22.8% 18.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Yakutsk

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Yakutsk

$222 18% 107% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Yakutsk

$86 7% 4.2% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yakutsk

$209 17% 175% $133

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Yakutsk

$25 2% 32.5% $12

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 $1,039 in Shanghai and $875 in Yakutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $41.00 in Yakutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $280 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇷🇺 Yakutsk

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

361,154

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Yakutsk 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Yakutsk

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 Yakutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $875 in Yakutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yakutsk runs roughly 56% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,244 in Yakutsk versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yakutsk but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yakutsk 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Yakutsk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Yakutsk wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.