Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
Learn more

Yantai Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yantai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $629 in Yantai.

Shanghai $1,244
Yantai $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $926 in Yantai.

Shanghai $1,999
Yantai $926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,223 in Yantai.

Shanghai $2,755
Yantai $1,223

Living in Shanghai is roughly 98% more expensive than in Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Yantai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$2.92 ¥19.55

56.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$18.14 ¥121

66.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.58 ¥30.65

14.63%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.81 ¥18.78

16.73%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.54 ¥3.58

5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.32 ¥2.15

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.05 ¥7.01

17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.60 ¥17.39

-12.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.96 ¥13.11

-6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.35 ¥9.01

45.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.83 ¥5.58

24.10%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.35 ¥9.02

23.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$16.32 ¥109

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.28 ¥21.94

-2.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$6.89 ¥46.04

87.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.37 ¥9.19

63.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$0.89 ¥5.98

86.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.07 ¥7.16

88.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$0.74 ¥4.92

124.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.67 ¥4.49

14.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.78 ¥5.24

19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.58 ¥3.91

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.63 ¥4.19

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.65 ¥24.39

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$11.68 ¥78.1

-6.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.78 ¥5.25

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.03 ¥6.88

56.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.21 ¥1.40

190.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.36 ¥9.11

55.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.29 ¥1.92

48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$6.48 ¥43.30

39.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.23 ¥8.20

8.13%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-1.39%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.4K ¥109.8K

13.96%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$44.64 ¥298

29.50%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$6.79 ¥45.37

19.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$6.09 ¥40.75

72.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$29.60 ¥198

121.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$7.43 ¥49.69

139.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$5.44 ¥36.37

64.52%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$363 ¥2,426

289.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

67.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$17.97 ¥120

200.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$22.78 ¥152

62.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$93.7 ¥626

-20.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$90.2 ¥603

17.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$223 ¥1,490

373.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$151 ¥1,010

287.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$353 ¥2,358

604.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$147 ¥982

738.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,056 ¥20.4K

355.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,096 ¥34.1K

22.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,063 ¥7,107

60.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.37

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Yantai

$151 24% 74.2% $434

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 20.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 51.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 24.7% $19

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 89.9% $32

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 $1,055 in Shanghai and $223 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 61% 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 $18.00 in Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $191 per month, with Yantai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,871,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Yantai 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Yantai differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $629 including rent). Yantai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $223 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $629 in Yantai – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $629 in Yantai versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yantai but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yantai 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 Yantai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.