Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yangon (Rangoon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangon (Rangoon): $775 a month against $1,250 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Yangon (Rangoon)
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Yangon (Rangoon) Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Yangon (Rangoon)

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yangon (Rangoon)

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 Yangon (Rangoon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $775 in Yangon (Rangoon).

Shanghai $1,250
Yangon (Rangoon) $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,293 in Yangon (Rangoon).

Shanghai $2,019
Yangon (Rangoon) $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $1,810 in Yangon (Rangoon).

Shanghai $2,789
Yangon (Rangoon) $1,810

Living in Shanghai is roughly 61% more expensive than in Yangon (Rangoon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Yangon (Rangoon) 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$2.52 MMK 5,283

80.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$16.80 MMK 35.2K

75.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$3.03 MMK 6,334

68.32%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$1.65 MMK 3,459

107.27%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$0.71 MMK 1,478

-14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.64 MMK 1,344

-43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$0.98 MMK 2,052

23.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$1.95 MMK 4,080

17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.73 MMK 3,613

7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$1.13 MMK 2,361

77.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$2.24 MMK 4,683

-54.46%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$1.88 MMK 3,932

-8.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$6.32 MMK 13.2K

171.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$4.56 MMK 9,552

-26.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$5.80 MMK 12.1K

120.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$4.70 MMK 9,844

-53.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$1.11 MMK 2,324

56.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$4.17 MMK 8,733

-53.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$3.07 MMK 6,422

-45.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.60 MMK 5,454

-70.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.68 MMK 3,508

-44.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$1.20 MMK 2,505

-48.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.47 MMK 990

23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$1.68 MMK 3,514

127.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$9.12 MMK 19.1K

19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$0.97 MMK 2,025

-13.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$1.21 MMK 2,531

32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.28 MMK 590

110.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$11.96 MMK 25.0K

153.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.03 MMK 2,154

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.98 MMK 2,057

-52.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$2.68 MMK 5,607

228.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$9.07 MMK 19.0K

-86.00%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$30.6K MMK 64.0M

-35.92%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$46.8K MMK 98.1M

-60.34%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$48.50 MMK 101.5K

18.00%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$7.38 MMK 15.5K

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$18.87 MMK 39.5K

-44.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$19.31 MMK 40.4K

234.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$11.23 MMK 23.5K

56.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$2.48 MMK 5,183

256.45%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$510 MMK 1.1M

181.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$17.5K MMK 36.6M

60.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$88.1 MMK 184.5K

-37.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$63.9 MMK 133.8K

-42.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$100 MMK 210.1K

-24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$130 MMK 271.7K

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$359 MMK 750.6K

189.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$198 MMK 413.7K

197.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,046 MMK 2.2M

137.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$544 MMK 1.1M

127.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$2,169 MMK 4.5M

526.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$933 MMK 2.0M

563.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$284 MMK 594.8K

503.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

-72.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Yangon (Rangoon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$198 25.9% 66.4% $391

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$213 27.9% 9.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$172 22.5% 41.3% $50

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$63 8.3% 41% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$24 3.2% 70.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$75 9.8% 1.4% $1.1

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Yangon (Rangoon)

$19 2.5% 48.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $359 in Yangon (Rangoon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 504% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $17.00 in Yangon (Rangoon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $213 per month, with Yangon (Rangoon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇲🇲 Yangon (Rangoon)

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h 30 min behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

5,160,512

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, 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).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,348 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.26 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Yangon (Rangoon) 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Yangon (Rangoon)

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 Yangon (Rangoon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Yangon (Rangoon) differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $775 including rent). Yangon (Rangoon) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 504% 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 $359 in Yangon (Rangoon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $510 in Yangon (Rangoon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Yangon (Rangoon) versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yangon (Rangoon) but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yangon (Rangoon) 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.

Expats usually find Yangon (Rangoon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.