Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Zhangjiakou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Shanghai $1,256
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,223 in Zhangjiakou.

Shanghai $1,999
Zhangjiakou $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,670 in Zhangjiakou.

Shanghai $2,743
Zhangjiakou $1,670

Living in Shanghai is roughly 62% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Zhangjiakou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.64

$2.21 ¥14.72

101.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥202

$24.26 ¥161

24.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥33.86

$5.91 ¥39.37

-13.87%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.85

$3.50 ¥23.30

-2.00%

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

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.50 ¥3.35

24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$0.26 ¥1.72

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$0.92 ¥6.14

33.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.74

$1.69 ¥11.27

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

$1.48 ¥9.86

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥12.97

$2.21 ¥14.73

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.64

$1.06 ¥7.07

-5.66%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.38

$1.06 ¥7.03

61.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥116

$15.23 ¥101

14.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.57

$2.98 ¥19.80

8.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.5

$9.59 ¥63.8

35.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.92

$1.66 ¥11.02

34.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.20

$0.93 ¥6.16

80.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥12.97

$1.76 ¥11.70

10.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$1.22 ¥8.10

41.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.08

$0.81 ¥5.37

-6.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.57 ¥3.80

61.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.39

$0.62 ¥4.13

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.74 ¥4.93

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.54

$3.63 ¥24.17

1.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥72.7

$13.60 ¥90.5

-19.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$1.07 ¥7.10

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.82

$2.43 ¥16.16

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$0.29 ¥1.90

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥202

$17.61 ¥117

72.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.73

$1.08 ¥7.19

90.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.33 ¥2.17

39.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥58.9

$6.21 ¥41.37

42.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$1.18 ¥7.83

12.71%

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

$19.3K ¥128.2K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

-1.87%

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

$18.2K ¥121.4K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

7.18%

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

$57.1 ¥380

$95.7 ¥637

-40.32%

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

$8.07 ¥53.7

$6.22 ¥41.40

29.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.2

$7.68 ¥51.1

39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥430

$42.01 ¥280

53.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥115

$15.20 ¥101

13.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.2

$7.30 ¥48.57

23.97%

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

$1,441 ¥9,595

$342 ¥2,275

321.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$5,321 ¥35.4K

429.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥356

$44.73 ¥298

19.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥247

$28.35 ¥189

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$96.5 ¥643

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥691

$60.0 ¥399

73.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,811

$294 ¥1,954

248.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,953

$182 ¥1,214

225.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$622 ¥4,142

311.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,071

$379 ¥2,523

219.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.0K

$3,446 ¥22.9K

292.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.6K

$1,966 ¥13.1K

217.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.3K

$382 ¥2,544

344.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.54

-5.08%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5% 69.3% $412

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6% 9.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3% 31.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1% 44.4% $34

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8% 42.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $24 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $214 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,345,491

💱 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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Shanghai Zhangjiakou 1,220 km ≈ 2 h 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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Zhangjiakou differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $776 including rent). Zhangjiakou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 4.4 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $342 in Zhangjiakou. 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.