Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $708 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $708
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,174 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,174
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,639 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,639
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu costs roughly 42% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 48% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 ¥24.71

$4.53 ¥30.16

-18.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.88 ¥173

$30.16 ¥201

-14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.22

$5.11 ¥34.09

-8.41%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ¥21.20

$3.41 ¥22.74

-6.74%

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

$0.44 ¥2.94

$0.58 ¥3.86

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.35 ¥2.36

-5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.85

$1.23 ¥8.23

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$2.31 ¥15.40

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$1.88 ¥12.54

-3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.94 ¥12.90

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.81

$0.98 ¥6.53

-11.22%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥13.26

$1.70 ¥11.32

17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.03 ¥127

$17.02 ¥113

11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.21

$3.22 ¥21.45

17.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.11 ¥40.72

$12.93 ¥86.2

-52.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$2.15 ¥14.33

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.32

$1.73 ¥11.50

-19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$2.03 ¥13.53

-27.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.82

$1.73 ¥11.56

-23.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.83 ¥5.52

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$0.92 ¥6.14

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.44

$0.67 ¥4.49

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.59 ¥3.93

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 ¥24.56

$3.77 ¥25.14

-2.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥88.7

$11.03 ¥73.5

20.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.44

$0.90 ¥6.01

-8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.60 ¥10.69

-5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.57 ¥3.81

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.68 ¥111

$29.62 ¥197

-43.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.07

$2.14 ¥14.27

-8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.47 ¥3.11

-23.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 ¥46.97

$8.74 ¥58.3

-19.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.34 ¥8.95

-8.21%

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

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

-8.37%

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

$18.1K ¥121.0K

$18.3K ¥121.8K

-0.73%

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

$18.87 ¥126

$58.9 ¥393

-67.96%

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

$10.02 ¥66.8

$7.90 ¥52.6

26.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.05 ¥73.7

$10.60 ¥70.7

4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ¥393

$64.8 ¥432

-8.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 ¥104

$17.47 ¥116

-10.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ¥49.72

$9.06 ¥60.4

-17.66%

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

$299 ¥1,993

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-81.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.2K

$28.2K ¥188.2K

-37.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.39 ¥303

$54.6 ¥364

-16.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.76 ¥278

$37.21 ¥248

12.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 ¥398

$74.6 ¥497

-19.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 ¥397

$106 ¥708

-43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 ¥1,730

$1,026 ¥6,837

-74.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ¥1,143

$559 ¥3,728

-69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ¥4,023

$2,618 ¥17.5K

-76.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,461

$1,191 ¥7,939

-69.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 ¥20.0K

$13.4K ¥89.1K

-77.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 ¥13.0K

$6,527 ¥43.5K

-70.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.36

4.17%

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

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 9.4% $20

Accommodation & Living

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$172 24.2%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 226% $388

Clothing & Footwear

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.1%

Shanghai

$123 10% 32% $30

Eating Out

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 15.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$74 10.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 12.2% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.6%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 93.8% $37

Getting Around

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$22 3%

Shanghai

$36 3% 68.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $237 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

831,113

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

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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Shanghai 41 km

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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

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and Shanghai differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($708 vs $1,222 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,063 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and $1,833 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 9% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.