Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Taizhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Taizhou $774
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,255 in Taizhou versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Taizhou $1,255
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,735 in Taizhou versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Taizhou $1,735
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Taizhou costs roughly 38% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taizhou 43% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 ¥25.05

$4.45 ¥29.70

-15.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 ¥172

$30.29 ¥202

-14.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.25

$5.09 ¥33.93

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.87

$3.43 ¥22.90

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.62 ¥4.14

-14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.39 ¥2.57

-25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$1.23 ¥8.23

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.15

$2.21 ¥14.77

2.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.44

$1.85 ¥12.34

1.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$1.95 ¥12.99

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.00 ¥6.65

-46.00%

Eggs

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.71 ¥11.41

-30.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 ¥130

$17.47 ¥117

11.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.44

$3.24 ¥21.61

12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥67.9

$12.99 ¥86.6

-21.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.95

$2.24 ¥14.95

-46.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.68 ¥11.22

-20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.95 ¥13.00

-22.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.73 ¥11.57

-6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$0.76 ¥5.09

-2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$0.92 ¥6.14

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.66 ¥4.40

3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.60 ¥3.99

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ¥28.12

$3.69 ¥24.59

14.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 ¥90.0

$10.92 ¥72.9

23.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.87 ¥5.83

-50.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.63 ¥10.84

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.62 ¥4.12

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$30.38 ¥203

-40.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$2.06 ¥13.76

-40.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.46 ¥3.07

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.81

$8.84 ¥59.0

-20.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.33 ¥8.84

-3.76%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.3K ¥128.4K

0.94%

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

$16.3K ¥108.8K

$18.2K ¥121.7K

-10.62%

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

$48.64 ¥324

$57.1 ¥381

-14.83%

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

$8.88 ¥59.2

$8.07 ¥53.8

10.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.43 ¥76.2

$10.70 ¥71.3

6.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 ¥274

$64.6 ¥431

-36.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$17.29 ¥115

-12.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ¥49.56

$9.05 ¥60.3

-17.90%

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

$564 ¥3,761

$1,441 ¥9,614

-60.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥237.4K

$28.2K ¥188.0K

26.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.06 ¥220

$53.5 ¥357

-38.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$37.05 ¥247

14.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥555

$77.0 ¥513

8.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥722

$104 ¥693

4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,994

$1,023 ¥6,825

-70.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,236

$594 ¥3,961

-68.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥4,267

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-75.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,537

$1,213 ¥8,088

-68.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 ¥22.8K

$13.5K ¥90.2K

-74.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$6,247 ¥41.7K

-68.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.3K

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 Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.9%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 6.3% $14

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$185 23.9%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 221% $409

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$120 15.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 1.7% $2

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 8.4% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$69 8.9%

Shanghai

$76 6% 10% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$56 7.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 48.1% $27

Getting Around

Taizhou

$22 2.9%

Shanghai

$37 3% 66.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $299 in Taizhou and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Taizhou vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $238 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Taizhou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou and Shanghai differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($774 vs $1,256 including rent). Taizhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,162 in Taizhou and $1,884 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: $299 in Taizhou versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Taizhou versus $1,441 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $774 in Taizhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taizhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Taizhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.