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

🙂 Solo nomad: Taiyuan is 16.1% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 49.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Taiyuan is 30.1% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 47% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 ¥15.36
$4.73 ¥33.92
-54.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.54 ¥147
$36.17 ¥259
-43.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.23 ¥30.31
$5.6 ¥40.18
-24.46%
Cappuccino
$2.46 ¥17.65
$3.56 ¥25.53
-30.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 ¥3.91
$0.54 ¥3.9
1.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ¥2.33
$0.36 ¥2.59
-8.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.24 ¥8.87
$1.43 ¥10.25
-13.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥15.32
$2.76 ¥19.81
-22.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 ¥9.83
$2.18 ¥15.66
-37.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.8 ¥20.12
$1.81 ¥13
54.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.71 ¥5.11
$1.1 ¥7.9
-35.45%
Eggs
$0.94 ¥6.72
$1.69 ¥12.1
-44.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.66 ¥98
$15.79 ¥113
-13.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.83 ¥20.29
$3.17 ¥22.76
-10.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.71 ¥76.8
$10.88 ¥78.1
-1.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.13 ¥15.31
$2.26 ¥16.24
-5.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥9.42
$1.67 ¥11.98
-21.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.83 ¥5.92
$1.78 ¥12.78
-53.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.08 ¥7.78
$1.52 ¥10.94
-28.95%
Potato (1kg)
$0.5 ¥3.57
$0.85 ¥6.09
-41.18%
Onion (1kg)
$0.4 ¥2.89
$1.17 ¥8.37
-65.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.4 ¥2.9
$0.68 ¥4.84
-41.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.4 ¥2.9
$0.6 ¥4.29
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.11 ¥15.1
$2.87 ¥20.56
-26.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.94 ¥64.1
$11.16 ¥80
-19.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ¥4.95
$0.8 ¥5.73
-13.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 ¥10.1
$1.56 ¥11.22
-9.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.4 ¥2.89
-27.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.37 ¥88.7
$35.15 ¥252
-64.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ¥7.76
$2.29 ¥16.45
-52.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ¥1.5
$0.37 ¥2.69
-43.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 ¥25.71
$8.14 ¥58.4
-56.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥7.94
$1.09 ¥7.81
1.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K ¥167.8K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
19.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20K ¥143.3K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
9.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69 ¥495
$51.6 ¥370
33.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.47 ¥67.9
$8.68 ¥62.2
9.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.78 ¥84.5
$13.5 ¥96.8
-12.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.55 ¥298
$46.42 ¥333
-10.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.42 ¥60.4
$20.44 ¥147
-58.81%
Cinema Ticket
$5.59 ¥40.08
$8.58 ¥61.5
-34.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$415 ¥2,976
$1,307 ¥9,378
-68.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,110 ¥29.5K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-86.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.03 ¥172
$58.8 ¥422
-59.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.89 ¥351
$36.99 ¥265
32.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.7 ¥507
$77.7 ¥558
-9.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.3 ¥461
$98.5 ¥706
-34.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$212 ¥1,519
$952 ¥6,827
-77.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$106 ¥764
$574 ¥4,115
-81.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$520 ¥3,730
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-79.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$243 ¥1,746
$1,201 ¥8,614
-79.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,295 ¥30.8K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-70.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,113 ¥7,983
$7,106 ¥51K
-84.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taiyuan
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$893 ¥6,404
$1,534 ¥11K
-41.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.83
3.58
6.98%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.