Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yulin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $699 in Yulin.

Shanghai $1,222
Yulin $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,123 in Yulin.

Shanghai $1,971
Yulin $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,548 in Yulin.

Shanghai $2,720
Yulin $1,548

Living in Shanghai is roughly 75% more expensive than in Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$2.27 ¥15.10

99.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$16.19 ¥108

86.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$4.90 ¥32.60

4.29%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$2.14 ¥14.27

59.35%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.40 ¥2.67

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.24 ¥1.58

45.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.70 ¥11.30

-27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.23 ¥14.81

3.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.84 ¥12.24

2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.64 ¥10.95

18.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.98 ¥6.55

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.69 ¥11.22

0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$12.16 ¥80.9

39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$3.60 ¥23.94

-10.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$11.61 ¥77.3

11.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$1.73 ¥11.49

24.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.33 ¥8.82

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.49 ¥9.91

36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.23 ¥8.20

40.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.76 ¥5.07

9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.99 ¥6.61

-7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.68 ¥4.53

-1.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.56 ¥3.72

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$3.46 ¥23.03

8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$10.34 ¥68.8

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.81 ¥5.37

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.42 ¥9.44

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.31 ¥2.05

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$19.78 ¥132

49.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.44 ¥9.57

48.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.37 ¥2.48

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$7.94 ¥52.9

10.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.41 ¥9.35

-4.96%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$17.2K ¥114.4K

11.98%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

2.42%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$57.2 ¥380

3.06%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$8.96 ¥59.6

-11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$11.40 ¥75.9

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$41.11 ¥274

57.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$16.85 ¥112

3.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$6.49 ¥43.21

39.60%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$421 ¥2,803

276.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

74.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$43.04 ¥286

26.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$32.41 ¥216

14.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$74.7 ¥497

-0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$75.1 ¥500

41.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$329 ¥2,186

212.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$162 ¥1,081

244.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$613 ¥4,079

327.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$363 ¥2,415

228.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$3,146 ¥20.9K

325.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,915 ¥12.7K

240.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$592 ¥3,939

189.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yulin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Yulin

$162 23.3% 71% $397

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Yulin

$205 29.3% 13.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Yulin

$101 14.5% 17.4% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Yulin

$74 10.6% 30.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Yulin

$54 7.7% 34.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Yulin

$78 11.1% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Yulin

$24 3.5% 33.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $329 in Yulin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $16 in Yulin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $205 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,700,000

💱 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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Between locations

Shanghai Yulin 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $699 in Yulin, so Yulin is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 2.9 times higher, 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 $329 in Yulin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $421 in Yulin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Yulin versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $800 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yulin 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 Yulin 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.