Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $889 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$889

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Suzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Suzhou $889
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Suzhou versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Suzhou $1,471
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,053 in Suzhou versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Suzhou $2,053
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Suzhou costs roughly 27% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Suzhou 35% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.12 ¥27.39

$4.53 ¥30.07

-9.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.26 ¥201

$30.16 ¥200

0.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.60

$5.11 ¥33.99

1.96%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.55

$3.41 ¥22.67

-0.59%

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

$0.69 ¥4.56

$0.58 ¥3.85

18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ¥2.76

$0.35 ¥2.36

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ¥15.23

$1.23 ¥8.21

86.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.01

$2.31 ¥15.35

89.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.73

$1.88 ¥12.50

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.01

$1.94 ¥12.86

1.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.61

$0.98 ¥6.51

32.65%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.03

$1.70 ¥11.29

6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ¥119

$17.02 ¥113

5.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 ¥22.50

$3.22 ¥21.38

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$12.93 ¥85.9

-32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.16

$2.15 ¥14.29

-7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.23

$1.73 ¥11.46

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ¥8.96

$2.03 ¥13.49

-33.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.55

$1.73 ¥11.52

-16.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$0.83 ¥5.50

-22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.90

$0.92 ¥6.12

29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ¥5.62

$0.67 ¥4.47

26.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.59 ¥3.92

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ¥29.72

$3.77 ¥25.06

18.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.86 ¥58.9

$11.03 ¥73.3

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.09

$0.90 ¥5.99

18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.19

$1.60 ¥10.66

33.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.57 ¥3.80

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.83 ¥298

$29.62 ¥197

51.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.14 ¥14.23

-20.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.47 ¥3.10

-23.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 ¥66.5

$8.74 ¥58.1

14.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.89

$1.34 ¥8.92

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

$19.5K ¥129.3K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

1.10%

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

$18.0K ¥119.7K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

-1.45%

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

$99.9 ¥664

$58.9 ¥391

69.61%

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

$12.89 ¥85.7

$7.90 ¥52.5

63.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$10.60 ¥70.4

7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.10 ¥227

$64.8 ¥431

-47.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ¥127

$17.47 ¥116

8.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.90 ¥39.22

$9.06 ¥60.2

-34.88%

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

$1,237 ¥8,217

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-22.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥142.5K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-24.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 ¥341

$54.6 ¥363

-5.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.03 ¥273

$37.21 ¥247

10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 ¥557

$74.6 ¥495

12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 ¥576

$106 ¥706

-18.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,580

$1,026 ¥6,816

-62.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 ¥1,442

$559 ¥3,716

-61.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 ¥6,772

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥3,723

$1,191 ¥7,915

-52.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,826 ¥32.1K

$13.4K ¥88.9K

-63.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,609 ¥17.3K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-60.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,367 ¥9,084

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-20.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.36

5.06%

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

Last update for Suzhou: 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

Suzhou

$220 24.7%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 7.6% $17

Accommodation & Living

Suzhou

$217 24.4%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 158% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suzhou

$124 14%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 37.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Suzhou

$118 13.3%

Shanghai

$123 10% 3.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Suzhou

$114 12.8%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 6.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Suzhou

$50 5.6%

Shanghai

$36 3% 26.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Suzhou

$46 5.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 80.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $388 in Suzhou and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 25% 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: $30 in Suzhou vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $237 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Suzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,748,262

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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Suzhou Shanghai 81 km

From you

Suzhou
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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

Suzhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $889 in Suzhou and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Suzhou is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Suzhou. 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: $388 in Suzhou versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $889 per month in Suzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai – Suzhou is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $889 in Suzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suzhou 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.

It comes down to priorities – Suzhou wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.