Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,621 in Timor-Leste, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste
$1,621
/mo nomad
Shanghai
🇨🇳 China
$1,250
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Timor-Leste is 14.1% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Timor-Leste is 17% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 17.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.92 $4.92
$4.55 ¥30.40
8.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.34 $42.34
$29.52 ¥197
43.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.92 $7.92
$5.10 ¥34.08
55.29%
Cappuccino
$4.07 $4.07
$3.42 ¥22.88
19.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 $1.65
$0.61 ¥4.11
170.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$0.36 ¥2.40
688.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.21 ¥8.07
102.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 $4.56
$2.29 ¥15.31
99.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.86 ¥12.46
22.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.01 ¥13.45
26.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 $0.89
$1.02 ¥6.83
-12.75%
Eggs
$2.74 $2.74
$1.72 ¥11.46
59.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.01 $2.01
$17.19 ¥115
-88.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.46 $9.46
$3.35 ¥22.39
182.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.03 $16.03
$12.80 ¥85.5
25.23%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.17 ¥14.51
50.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 $1.80
$1.74 ¥11.65
3.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.94 ¥12.96
25.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.68 ¥11.23
35.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 $1.20
$0.77 ¥5.17
55.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 $1.14
$0.93 ¥6.21
22.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 $0.91
$0.62 ¥4.16
46.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 $1.01
$0.58 ¥3.88
74.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.96 $2.96
$3.83 ¥25.60
-22.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.08 $12.08
$10.94 ¥73.1
10.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 $2.28
$0.84 ¥5.59
171.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$1.60 ¥10.71
73.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 $0.24
$0.59 ¥3.92
-59.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.66 $43.66
$30.27 ¥202
44.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 $3.55
$2.06 ¥13.77
72.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.74 $3.74
$0.47 ¥3.13
695.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.90 $19.90
$8.80 ¥58.8
126.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 $1.38
$1.27 ¥8.51
8.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.1K $20.1K
$19.6K ¥131.0K
2.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K $18.2K
$18.6K ¥124.2K
-1.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 $150
$57.2 ¥382
161.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.21 $27.21
$8.06 ¥53.8
237.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
-
$10.52 ¥70.3
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.4 $50.4
$64.6 ¥432
-22.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.63 ¥118
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.84 $5.84
$8.84 ¥59.1
-33.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,508 $1,508
$1,437 ¥9,605
4.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K $15.9K
$28.1K ¥187.5K
-43.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.7 $59.7
$54.7 ¥365
9.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.63 $29.63
$36.43 ¥243
-18.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.1 $80.1
$75.4 ¥504
6.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.8 $58.8
$104 ¥695
-43.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$827 $827
$1,039 ¥6,945
-20.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$739 $739
$589 ¥3,933
25.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,771 $2,771
$2,487 ¥16.6K
11.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 $1,488
$1,237 ¥8,268
20.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$13.6K ¥90.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,191 ¥41.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Timor-Leste
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,913 $4,913
$1,715 ¥11.5K
186.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.37
3.36
59.82%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 6, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Timor-Leste
$739
Shanghai
$589 20.4% $151
Groceries & Markets
Timor-Leste
$275
Shanghai
$237 14% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Timor-Leste
$177 *
Shanghai
$76 57.1% $101
Eating Out
Timor-Leste
$151
Shanghai
$107 29.1% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Timor-Leste
$103
Shanghai
$122 18.5% $19
Getting Around
Timor-Leste
$67
Shanghai
$37 44.7% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Timor-Leste
$62
Shanghai
$82 32.5% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste
🇨🇳 Shanghai
🕒 Local time
14:01 2:01 PM
13:01 1:01 PM
1 h behind Timor-Leste
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,243,235
24,870,895
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Timor-Leste Shanghai 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Timor-Leste
  • Shanghai

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

Timor-Leste vs other spots: cost of living compared

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