Cost of Living Comparison Between Wuhan and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Wuhan and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Wuhan is 17.2% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 35.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Wuhan is 18.6% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 38% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.83 ¥20.29
$4.73 ¥33.92
-40.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.28 ¥153
$36.17 ¥259
-41.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.58 ¥40.04
$5.6 ¥40.18
-0.36%
Cappuccino
$2.1 ¥15.09
$3.56 ¥25.53
-41.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ¥2.78
$0.54 ¥3.9
-27.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$0.36 ¥2.59
-19.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.82 ¥5.89
$1.43 ¥10.25
-42.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 ¥19.2
$2.76 ¥19.81
-2.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 ¥12.79
$2.18 ¥15.66
-18.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 ¥9.89
$1.81 ¥13
-23.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.66
$1.1 ¥7.9
-15.45%
Eggs
$1.4 ¥10.06
$1.69 ¥12.1
-17.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.67 ¥90.9
$15.79 ¥113
-19.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.47 ¥24.88
$3.17 ¥22.76
9.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.33 ¥88.4
$10.88 ¥78.1
13.33%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 ¥13.71
$2.26 ¥16.24
-15.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 ¥7.96
$1.67 ¥11.98
-33.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.18 ¥8.43
$1.78 ¥12.78
-33.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.94 ¥6.72
$1.52 ¥10.94
-38.16%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ¥5.28
$0.85 ¥6.09
-12.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.67 ¥4.78
$1.17 ¥8.37
-42.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.5 ¥3.58
$0.68 ¥4.84
-26.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ¥3.66
$0.6 ¥4.29
-15.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.1 ¥22.21
$2.87 ¥20.56
8.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.51 ¥75.4
$11.16 ¥80
-5.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ¥5.14
$0.8 ¥5.73
-10.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ¥10.93
$1.56 ¥11.22
-2.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.58 ¥4.16
$0.4 ¥2.89
45.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.75 ¥221
$35.15 ¥252
-12.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥10.17
$2.29 ¥16.45
-37.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ¥1.95
$0.37 ¥2.69
-27.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.26 ¥44.9
$8.14 ¥58.4
-23.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥8.34
$1.09 ¥7.81
6.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.2K ¥130.2K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
-7.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.3K ¥102.7K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
-21.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 ¥599
$51.6 ¥370
61.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.52 ¥54
$8.68 ¥62.2
-13.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.86 ¥85.1
$13.5 ¥96.8
-12.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.05 ¥273
$46.42 ¥333
-18.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.36 ¥110
$20.44 ¥147
-24.85%
Cinema Ticket
$5.73 ¥41.11
$8.58 ¥61.5
-33.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$327 ¥2,343
$1,307 ¥9,378
-75.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,551 ¥54.2K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-75.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ¥384
$58.8 ¥422
-8.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.39 ¥218
$36.99 ¥265
-17.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 ¥567
$77.7 ¥558
1.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ¥753
$98.5 ¥706
6.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$360 ¥2,584
$952 ¥6,827
-62.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$217 ¥1,559
$574 ¥4,115
-62.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$739 ¥5,298
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-70.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$341 ¥2,445
$1,201 ¥8,614
-71.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,316 ¥23.8K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-76.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,652 ¥11.9K
$7,106 ¥51K
-76.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wuhan
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,028 ¥7,372
$1,534 ¥11K
-32.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.17
3.58
16.48%

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

Last update for Wuhan: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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