Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Shanghai

😐 Solo nomad: Suzhou is 7.3% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 19.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Suzhou is 10% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 18.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.26 ¥29.07

$4.97 ¥33.95

-14.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.76 ¥285

$36.17 ¥247

15.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ¥38.32

$5.42 ¥37.04

3.51%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ¥27.22

$3.56 ¥24.31

12.08%

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

$1.73 ¥11.79

$0.53 ¥3.64

226.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.30

$0.33 ¥2.28

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 ¥29.00

$1.35 ¥9.23

214.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 ¥39.18

$2.76 ¥18.87

107.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ¥16.41

$2.13 ¥14.54

12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 ¥17.14

$1.84 ¥12.58

36.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.68

$1.05 ¥7.19

6.67%

Eggs

$1.94 ¥13.27

$1.68 ¥11.45

15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.40 ¥139

$15.58 ¥106

30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 ¥24.65

$3.24 ¥22.13

11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.01 ¥54.7

$10.83 ¥74.0

-26.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ¥14.14

$2.37 ¥16.22

-12.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ¥11.13

$1.69 ¥11.57

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.37

$1.80 ¥12.27

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.88

$1.48 ¥10.09

-12.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.69

$0.85 ¥5.83

-18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥8.10

$1.17 ¥7.99

1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ¥6.69

$0.62 ¥4.25

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.50

$0.61 ¥4.15

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ¥28.30

$2.81 ¥19.17

47.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.15 ¥69.4

$11.89 ¥81.2

-14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.99

$0.79 ¥5.38

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ¥18.73

$1.57 ¥10.72

74.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥2.00

$0.44 ¥2.98

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.59 ¥291

$34.93 ¥239

21.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ¥12.47

$2.24 ¥15.33

-18.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.42

$0.38 ¥2.59

-7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.56 ¥58.5

$8.23 ¥56.2

4.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥7.84

$1.15 ¥7.87

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

$20.8K ¥142.3K

$19.9K ¥135.8K

4.80%

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

$23.3K ¥159.2K

$17.8K ¥121.8K

30.76%

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

$118 ¥807

$52.2 ¥357

126.32%

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

$14.99 ¥102

$8.70 ¥59.4

72.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.46 ¥78.3

$13.58 ¥92.7

-15.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ¥438

$46.31 ¥316

38.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 ¥129

$20.45 ¥140

-7.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥46.30

$8.26 ¥56.5

-17.92%

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

$782 ¥5,342

$1,266 ¥8,649

-38.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥115.5K

$31.9K ¥218.2K

-47.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ¥361

$59.8 ¥408

-11.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.89 ¥245

$38.23 ¥261

-6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥484

$77.2 ¥527

-8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 ¥645

$96.2 ¥657

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 ¥2,764

$948 ¥6,478

-57.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,421

$572 ¥3,908

-63.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 ¥6,715

$2,473 ¥16.9K

-60.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ¥3,552

$1,206 ¥8,239

-56.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,590 ¥38.2K

$14.1K ¥96.2K

-60.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,893 ¥19.8K

$7,213 ¥49.3K

-59.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,325 ¥9,053

$1,682 ¥11.5K

-21.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.86

3.58

7.82%

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

Last update for Suzhou: April 14, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: April 12, 2026

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

Suzhou vs other spots: cost of living compared

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