CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Shanghai

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Taiyuan is 17.6% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 46.3% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Taiyuan is 27.9% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 48.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.06 ยฅ14.38
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
-56.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.51 ยฅ143
$35.92 ยฅ251
-42.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.21 ยฅ29.37
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
-22.75%
Cappuccino
$2.36 ยฅ16.50
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
-30.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ยฅ3.56
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
-12.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 ยฅ2.24
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
-5.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.27 ยฅ8.84
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
-10.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ยฅ15.00
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
-23.21%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 ยฅ9.44
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
-35.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 ยฅ18.97
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
47.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.73 ยฅ5.09
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
-33.64%
Eggs
$0.86 ยฅ6.02
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
-46.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.19 ยฅ99.1
$15.28 ยฅ107
-7.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ยฅ19.13
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
-11.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ยฅ76.0
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
0.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 ยฅ14.34
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
-12.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 ยฅ9.58
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
-22.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.77 ยฅ5.35
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
-56.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 ยฅ7.38
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
-27.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.50 ยฅ3.48
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
-38.27%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 ยฅ3.05
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
-62.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
-30.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ยฅ3.05
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
-26.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.11 ยฅ14.72
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
-23.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.20 ยฅ50.2
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
-37.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ยฅ5.04
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
-14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 ยฅ9.94
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
-11.80%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ยฅ2.04
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.49 ยฅ87.2
$34.13 ยฅ238
-63.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ยฅ7.60
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
-52.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ยฅ1.61
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
-39.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 ยฅ23.85
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
-58.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ยฅ7.67
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
-4.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K ยฅ159.7K
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
16.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K ยฅ141.3K
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
10.86%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.0 ยฅ481
$52.1 ยฅ363
32.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.94 ยฅ69.4
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
13.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.91 ยฅ83.1
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
-14.13%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.26 ยฅ288
$46.42 ยฅ324
-11.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.15 ยฅ56.9
$19.78 ยฅ138
-58.80%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ยฅ38.12
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
-34.06%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$413 ยฅ2,885
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
-68.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,147 ยฅ28.9K
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
-86.58%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.86 ยฅ167
$59.8 ยฅ417
-60.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.54 ยฅ339
$38.03 ยฅ265
27.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.1 ยฅ482
$77.5 ยฅ541
-10.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.1 ยฅ447
$99.3 ยฅ693
-35.50%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 ยฅ1,457
$944 ยฅ6,591
-77.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$106 ยฅ742
$570 ยฅ3,981
-81.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ยฅ3,532
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
-79.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$245 ยฅ1,707
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
-79.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,584 ยฅ32.0K
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
-67.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,194 ยฅ8,331
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
-83.14%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$911 ยฅ6,358
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
-44.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.83
3.58
6.98%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Taiyuan: January 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.