Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $986 in Tulcea versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Tulcea $986
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,559 in Tulcea versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Tulcea $1,559
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Tulcea versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Tulcea $2,132
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Tulcea costs roughly 19% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tulcea 28% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$4.53 ¥30.11

158.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$30.16 ¥201

53.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$5.11 ¥34.04

54.01%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$3.41 ¥22.70

-39.30%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$0.58 ¥3.85

265.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$0.35 ¥2.36

202.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$1.23 ¥8.22

68.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$2.31 ¥15.37

-11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.88 ¥12.52

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.94 ¥12.88

-46.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$0.98 ¥6.52

46.94%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$1.70 ¥11.31

85.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$17.02 ¥113

-55.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$3.22 ¥21.41

113.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$12.93 ¥86.0

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$2.15 ¥14.31

-37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.73 ¥11.48

-5.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$2.03 ¥13.51

-30.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$1.73 ¥11.54

15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$0.83 ¥5.51

-10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$0.92 ¥6.13

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$0.67 ¥4.48

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.59 ¥3.92

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$3.77 ¥25.10

70.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$11.03 ¥73.4

-42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$0.90 ¥6.00

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$1.60 ¥10.67

-11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.57 ¥3.81

87.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$29.62 ¥197

-39.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$2.14 ¥14.25

-70.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.47 ¥3.10

31.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$8.74 ¥58.2

-27.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$1.34 ¥8.93

29.85%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

46.05%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$18.3K ¥121.7K

36.17%

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

$134 RON 643

$58.9 ¥392

127.18%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$7.90 ¥52.5

-1.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$10.60 ¥70.5

-18.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$64.8 ¥431

-51.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$17.47 ¥116

-4.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$9.06 ¥60.3

-8.17%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-79.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-88.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$54.6 ¥363

-4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$37.21 ¥248

-15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$74.6 ¥496

22.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$106 ¥707

-9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$1,026 ¥6,826

-66.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$559 ¥3,722

-51.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-77.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$1,191 ¥7,926

-58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-92.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-86.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-62.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

3.36

103.87%

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

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 104% $286

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 19.8% $39

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 36.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 48.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Shanghai

$123 10% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 72.1% $35

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Shanghai

$36 3% 40.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Tulcea and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Tulcea vs $30 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $237, with Tulcea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

6 h ahead of Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Tulcea Shanghai 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulcea
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

Tulcea vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $986 in Tulcea and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Tulcea is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Tulcea. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $343 in Tulcea versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $319 in Tulcea 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 20% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tulcea wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.