Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sivas and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sivas: $972 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Sivas
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Sivas Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Sivas

🇹🇷 Turkey

$972

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Sivas versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Sivas $972
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,456 in Sivas versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Sivas $1,456
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,939 in Sivas versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Sivas $1,939
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Sivas costs roughly 22% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sivas 28% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.24 ₺507

$4.56 ¥30.47

124.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₺3,016

$30.21 ¥202

101.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 ₺524

$5.25 ¥35.13

101.52%

Cappuccino

$4.13 ₺205

$3.28 ¥21.94

25.91%

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

$0.82 ₺40.64

$0.57 ¥3.84

43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₺15.38

$0.36 ¥2.39

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₺88.8

$1.23 ¥8.23

45.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₺102

$2.27 ¥15.18

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 ₺48.34

$1.84 ¥12.30

-46.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₺38.24

$1.96 ¥13.08

-60.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₺124

$1.03 ¥6.87

143.69%

Eggs

$2.44 ₺121

$1.67 ¥11.16

46.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 ₺412

$16.96 ¥113

-50.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ₺139

$3.19 ¥21.33

-12.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 ₺1,001

$12.90 ¥86.3

56.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₺99.1

$2.24 ¥15.00

-10.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₺81.6

$1.66 ¥11.13

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 ₺41.23

$2.02 ¥13.54

-58.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$1.66 ¥11.08

-37.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 ₺20.90

$0.77 ¥5.17

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ₺14.52

$0.93 ¥6.21

-68.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ₺36.91

$0.63 ¥4.19

19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₺32.93

$0.60 ¥3.99

11.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.80 ¥25.44

-42.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 ₺448

$10.87 ¥72.7

-16.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₺79.1

$0.82 ¥5.51

95.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₺114

$1.61 ¥10.76

42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₺24.62

$0.61 ¥4.11

-18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.33 ₺759

$29.40 ¥197

-47.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ₺98.2

$2.11 ¥14.11

-6.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₺29.66

$0.43 ¥2.87

39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 ₺329

$9.06 ¥60.6

-26.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₺66.5

$1.33 ¥8.89

0.75%

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

$41.4K ₺2.0M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

117.44%

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

$39.8K ₺2.0M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

112.69%

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

$89.3 ₺4,420

$57.8 ¥387

54.45%

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

$12.44 ₺616

$8.09 ¥54.1

53.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.73 ₺630

$10.48 ¥70.0

21.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 ₺1,497

$65.7 ¥439

-53.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$4.16 ₺206

$8.95 ¥59.9

-53.52%

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

$253 ₺12.5K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-82.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.61 ₺1,515

$54.0 ¥361

-43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 ₺3,046

$37.09 ¥248

65.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 ₺4,013

$74.3 ¥496

9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 ₺2,980

$106 ¥706

-42.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ₺22.6K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-56.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.0K

$585 ¥3,910

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₺25.4K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-79.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ₺14.8K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-75.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 ₺44.4K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-47.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

971.43%

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

Last update for Sivas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sivas

$302 31.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 93.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Sivas

$209 21.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 12.4% $26

Eating Out

Sivas

$181 18.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 41.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sivas

$114 11.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 33.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sivas

$105 10.8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 16.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sivas

$39 4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 117% $45

Getting Around

Sivas

$22 2.3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 61.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Sivas and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 91% 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: $61.0 in Sivas vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $209 vs $235, with Sivas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Sivas

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

5 h ahead of Sivas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

621,224

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Sivas Shanghai 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sivas
Shanghai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated June 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sivas vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sivas and Shanghai differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($972 vs $1,244 including rent). Sivas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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: $457 in Sivas versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $253 in Sivas 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 12% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $972 in Sivas versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sivas but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Sivas 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.

Safety-wise, Sivas and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sivas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.