Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $686 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Yangzhou
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Yangzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Yangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $686 in Yangzhou.

Shanghai $1,222
Yangzhou $686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,102 in Yangzhou.

Shanghai $1,971
Yangzhou $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,517 in Yangzhou.

Shanghai $2,720
Yangzhou $1,517

Living in Shanghai is roughly 78% more expensive than in Yangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Yangzhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$2.28 ¥15.17

98.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$11.15 ¥74.1

170.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$3.08 ¥20.45

65.91%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.50 ¥16.60

36.40%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.44 ¥2.92

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.21 ¥1.39

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.03 ¥6.85

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$2.01 ¥13.33

14.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.23 ¥8.15

52.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$2.03 ¥13.48

-4.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.81 ¥5.39

20.99%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.02 ¥6.75

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$14.12 ¥93.8

20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$2.68 ¥17.80

20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$6.74 ¥44.77

91.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$0.75 ¥4.97

186.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.69 ¥11.25

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$0.44 ¥2.89

361.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.05 ¥6.95

64.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.72 ¥4.79

15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.62 ¥4.14

48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.78 ¥5.20

-14.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.72 ¥4.76

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$2.98 ¥19.82

26.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$12.03 ¥79.9

-8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.89 ¥5.89

1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.91 ¥12.69

-16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.35 ¥2.35

62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$19.84 ¥132

49.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.18 ¥7.85

81.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.26 ¥1.72

80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$3.54 ¥23.51

146.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.16 ¥7.74

15.52%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

-2.30%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$16.8K ¥111.8K

8.62%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$49.69 ¥330

18.53%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$8.29 ¥55.1

-4.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$12.09 ¥80.3

-12.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$38.28 ¥254

69.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$16.92 ¥112

3.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$6.39 ¥42.46

41.78%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$242 ¥1,611

554.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$7,398 ¥49.2K

281.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$91.4 ¥607

-40.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$32.42 ¥215

14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$65.0 ¥432

14.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$91.1 ¥606

16.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$254 ¥1,687

304.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$162 ¥1,077

245.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$609 ¥4,045

330.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$388 ¥2,578

206.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$2,595 ¥17.2K

415.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,777 ¥11.8K

267.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,260 ¥8,373

35.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.1

8.39%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yangzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Yangzhou

$162 23.6% 71% $397

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Yangzhou

$184 26.8% 22.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Yangzhou

$126 18.4% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Yangzhou

$69 10.1% 35.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Yangzhou

$51 7.4% 38.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Yangzhou

$70 10.2% 9.5% $7.3

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Yangzhou

$24 3.5% 34.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $254 in Yangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 36% 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 in Shanghai vs $11 in Yangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $184 per month, with Yangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Yangzhou

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,559,797

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 Yangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $686 in Yangzhou, so Yangzhou is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $254 in Yangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $242 in Yangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $686 in Yangzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yangzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yangzhou 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 Yangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.