Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $691 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.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shantou and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shantou and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $691 in Shantou versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Shantou $691
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,107 in Shantou versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Shantou $1,107
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,524 in Shantou versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Shantou $1,524
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Shantou costs roughly 43% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.17

$4.53 ¥30.07

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.55 ¥157

$30.16 ¥200

-21.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.00

$5.11 ¥33.99

3.13%

Cappuccino

$3.29 ¥21.86

$3.41 ¥22.67

-3.52%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.04

$0.35 ¥2.36

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.23 ¥8.21

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.78

$2.31 ¥15.35

-3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.68

$1.88 ¥12.50

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$1.94 ¥12.86

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.17

$0.98 ¥6.51

-20.41%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.32

$1.70 ¥11.29

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ¥91.0

$17.02 ¥113

-19.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.86

$3.22 ¥21.38

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$12.93 ¥85.9

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.63

$2.15 ¥14.29

-4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.46

$1.73 ¥11.46

-9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.16

$2.03 ¥13.49

-9.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.15

$1.73 ¥11.52

-20.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.67

$0.83 ¥5.50

2.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.71

$0.92 ¥6.12

9.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.67 ¥4.47

-11.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.59 ¥3.92

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 ¥78.4

$11.03 ¥73.3

6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.55

$0.90 ¥5.99

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.57

$1.60 ¥10.66

8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.57 ¥3.80

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.13 ¥160

$29.62 ¥197

-18.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.71

$2.14 ¥14.23

-31.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.47 ¥3.10

-17.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.13

$8.74 ¥58.1

-15.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.27

$1.34 ¥8.92

-7.46%

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

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

2.30%

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

$18.2K ¥120.8K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

-0.53%

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

$58.3 ¥388

$58.9 ¥391

-0.98%

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

$9.17 ¥60.9

$7.90 ¥52.5

16.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.84 ¥92.0

$10.60 ¥70.4

30.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 ¥49.29

$9.06 ¥60.2

-18.10%

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

$527 ¥3,505

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-66.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥161.8K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-13.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 ¥367

$54.6 ¥363

1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ¥269

$37.21 ¥247

8.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥481

$74.6 ¥495

-2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.9 ¥617

$106 ¥706

-12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,963

$1,026 ¥6,816

-71.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ¥984

$559 ¥3,716

-73.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 ¥3,924

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-77.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ¥1,998

$1,191 ¥7,915

-74.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,209 ¥14.7K

$13.4K ¥88.9K

-83.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,479 ¥29.8K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-31.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,070 ¥7,110

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-37.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 10.4% $22

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$148 21.4%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 278% $411

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 17%

Shanghai

$123 10% 4.4% $5.2

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 24.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$81 11.8%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 4.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Shanghai

$36 3% 25.1% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 459% $68

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 $295 in Shantou and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 60% 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: $24 in Shantou vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $237 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

Same time as Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

24,870,895

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Shanghai 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
Shanghai

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

Shantou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $691 in Shantou and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Shantou is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Shantou. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $295 in Shantou versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $527 in Shantou versus $1,587 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Shantou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shantou 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 Shantou 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.