Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shijiazhuang and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Shijiazhuang $678
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Shijiazhuang $1,015
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,353 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Shijiazhuang $1,353
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Shijiazhuang costs roughly 45% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shijiazhuang 50% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 ¥11.89

$4.56 ¥30.47

-60.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.80 ¥126

$30.21 ¥202

-37.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 ¥36.50

$5.25 ¥35.13

4.00%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥21.50

$3.28 ¥21.94

-1.83%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.57 ¥3.84

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.36 ¥2.39

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$1.23 ¥8.23

-34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.35

$2.27 ¥15.18

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.86

$1.84 ¥12.30

-28.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.96 ¥13.08

-41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$1.03 ¥6.87

-32.04%

Eggs

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.67 ¥11.16

-26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 ¥108

$16.96 ¥113

-5.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ¥18.45

$3.19 ¥21.33

-13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 ¥63.0

$12.90 ¥86.3

-26.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$2.24 ¥15.00

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.66 ¥11.13

-25.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.02 ¥13.54

-61.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.66 ¥11.08

-26.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.77 ¥5.17

-23.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.93 ¥6.21

-37.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$0.63 ¥4.19

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.60 ¥3.99

-23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.46

$3.80 ¥25.44

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 ¥24.63

$10.87 ¥72.7

-66.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$0.82 ¥5.51

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.61 ¥10.76

-54.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.61 ¥4.11

-49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥119

$29.40 ¥197

-39.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$2.11 ¥14.11

-44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.43 ¥2.87

-18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ¥23.36

$9.06 ¥60.6

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$1.33 ¥8.89

-6.77%

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

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

3.58%

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

$17.0K ¥113.8K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-8.99%

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

$93.9 ¥628

$57.8 ¥387

62.45%

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

$4.40 ¥29.45

$8.09 ¥54.1

-45.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ¥44.34

$10.48 ¥70.0

-36.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.96 ¥93.4

$65.7 ¥439

-78.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$17.82 ¥119

-17.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 ¥36.92

$8.95 ¥59.9

-38.32%

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

$377 ¥2,519

$1,414 ¥9,451

-73.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,226 ¥34.9K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.51 ¥331

$54.0 ¥361

-8.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.52 ¥177

$37.09 ¥248

-28.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ¥505

$74.3 ¥496

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ¥366

$106 ¥706

-48.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,019

$1,055 ¥7,056

-71.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,222

$585 ¥3,910

-68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ¥2,729

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-83.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,847

$1,232 ¥8,240

-77.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,499 ¥16.7K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-82.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,670 ¥11.2K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-73.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 ¥5,356

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-53.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

3.36

-1.49%

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

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shijiazhuang

$183 27%

Shanghai

$585 47% 220% $402

Groceries & Markets

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 37.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 27.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 31.3% $29

Eating Out

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 33.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 234% $59

Getting Around

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 64.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $302 in Shijiazhuang and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 114% 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: $19.00 in Shijiazhuang vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $235 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

Same time as Shijiazhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,235,086

24,870,895

💱 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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Between locations

Shijiazhuang Shanghai 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shijiazhuang
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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

Shijiazhuang vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang and Shanghai differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($678 vs $1,244 including rent). Shijiazhuang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Shanghai. 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: $302 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.