Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yancheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Yancheng: $701 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Yancheng
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Yancheng Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Yancheng

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yancheng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $701 in Yancheng.

Shanghai $1,222
Yancheng $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,156 in Yancheng.

Shanghai $1,971
Yancheng $1,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,611 in Yancheng.

Shanghai $2,720
Yancheng $1,611

Living in Shanghai is roughly 74% more expensive than in Yancheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Yancheng 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.08

$1.97 ¥13.07

129.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$24.02 ¥160

25.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.00

$3.05 ¥20.27

67.54%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.19 ¥21.22

6.90%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.35 ¥2.35

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.23 ¥1.53

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.51 ¥10.04

-18.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.36

$3.08 ¥20.44

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.82 ¥12.09

3.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.87

$2.11 ¥14.05

-8.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.10 ¥7.30

-10.91%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.86 ¥12.36

-8.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$13.82 ¥91.9

23.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.39

$3.40 ¥22.57

-5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$11.25 ¥74.8

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$2.68 ¥17.82

-19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.47

$1.26 ¥8.39

37.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.63 ¥10.83

24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.53

$1.17 ¥7.80

47.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.64 ¥4.26

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.81 ¥5.39

13.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.64 ¥4.25

4.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.54 ¥3.61

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.07

$5.12 ¥34.06

-26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$11.77 ¥78.3

-6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.88 ¥5.82

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$2.28 ¥15.13

-29.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.34 ¥2.28

67.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$15.40 ¥102

92.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.47 ¥9.78

45.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.42 ¥2.82

11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$8.79 ¥58.5

-0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.28 ¥8.48

4.69%

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

$19.3K ¥128.0K

$19.8K ¥131.4K

-2.63%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$19.5K ¥129.3K

-6.03%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$36.14 ¥240

62.98%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$11.57 ¥76.9

-31.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$11.23 ¥74.6

-5.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$44.83 ¥298

44.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$14.94 ¥99.3

16.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$5.85 ¥38.89

54.87%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$446 ¥2,966

255.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.7K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

74.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$35.61 ¥237

53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$21.45 ¥143

73.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$65.6 ¥436

13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$44.48 ¥296

138.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,819

$285 ¥1,894

259.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,718

$189 ¥1,255

196.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$561 ¥3,726

367.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,918

$418 ¥2,779

184.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$3,255 ¥21.6K

310.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,919 ¥12.8K

240.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

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 Yancheng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Yancheng

$189 26.9% 66.2% $370

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Yancheng

$222 31.6% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Yancheng

$75 10.7% 38.7% $47

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Yancheng

$79 11.3% 26% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Yancheng

$57 8.1% 31.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Yancheng

$59 8.4% 23.8% $18

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Yancheng

$20 2.9% 44% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $285 in Yancheng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $24 in Yancheng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $222 per month, with Yancheng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Yancheng

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

7,260,240

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Yancheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $701 in Yancheng, so Yancheng is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,833 in Shanghai and $1,051 in Yancheng to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $285 in Yancheng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $446 in Yancheng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $701 in Yancheng versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Yancheng but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yancheng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yancheng 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 Yancheng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.