Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Zhongshan Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Zhongshan

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 20.3% more expensive than Zhongshan without rent, and 90.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 42% more expensive than Zhongshan without rent, and 97.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.73 ¥33.92
$2.77 ¥19.83
70.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥259
$16.58 ¥119
118.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.6 ¥40.18
$4.21 ¥30.19
33.02%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥25.53
$2.78 ¥19.93
28.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.9
$0.44 ¥3.15
22.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ¥2.59
$0.27 ¥1.92
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.43 ¥10.25
$0.73 ¥5.27
95.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥19.81
$1.7 ¥12.16
62.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ¥15.66
$1.74 ¥12.5
25.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.81 ¥13
$1.74 ¥12.47
4.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.1 ¥7.9
$0.9 ¥6.46
22.22%
Eggs
$1.69 ¥12.1
$1.64 ¥11.78
3.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.79 ¥113
$12.82 ¥91.9
23.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ¥22.76
$2.68 ¥19.25
18.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.88 ¥78.1
$12.77 ¥91.6
-14.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ¥16.24
$1.86 ¥13.35
21.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ¥11.98
$0.93 ¥6.66
79.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ¥12.78
$0.66 ¥4.7
169.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.94
$1.39 ¥9.94
9.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥6.09
$0.54 ¥3.84
57.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥8.37
$0.71 ¥5.09
64.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ¥4.84
$0.4 ¥2.85
70.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.6 ¥4.29
$0.47 ¥3.35
27.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 ¥20.56
$2.87 ¥20.59
-
Wine (Bottle)
$11.16 ¥80
$12.23 ¥87.8
-8.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 ¥5.73
$0.61 ¥4.39
31.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ¥11.22
$1.86 ¥13.36
-16.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.4 ¥2.89
$0.29 ¥2.1
37.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.15 ¥252
$14.01 ¥100
150.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ¥16.45
$1.24 ¥8.88
84.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 ¥2.69
$0.35 ¥2.49
5.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.14 ¥58.4
$6.87 ¥49.3
18.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥7.81
$1.12 ¥8.03
-2.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥140.1K
$23.2K ¥166.3K
-15.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K ¥130.5K
$20.3K ¥145.7K
-10.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.6 ¥370
$38.34 ¥275
34.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.68 ¥62.2
$8.21 ¥58.9
5.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.5 ¥96.8
$11.86 ¥85.1
13.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ¥333
$61.8 ¥443
-24.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.44 ¥147
$7.15 ¥51.3
185.87%
Cinema Ticket
$8.58 ¥61.5
$5.46 ¥39.17
57.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,307 ¥9,378
$294 ¥2,106
345.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.4K ¥225.4K
$12.7K ¥91.3K
146.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 ¥422
$43.41 ¥311
35.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.99 ¥265
$31.02 ¥222
19.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 ¥558
$56 ¥402
38.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.5 ¥706
$68.3 ¥490
44.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ¥6,827
$193 ¥1,384
393.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$574 ¥4,115
$117 ¥837
391.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 ¥18.1K
$345 ¥2,476
629.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ¥8,614
$199 ¥1,426
504.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.4K ¥103.2K
$2,389 ¥17.1K
502.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,106 ¥51K
$1,409 ¥10.1K
404.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Zhongshan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,534 ¥11K
$797 ¥5,717
92.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
3.83
-6.53%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Last update for Zhongshan: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.