Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wuhu and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuhu: $687 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Wuhu
Learn more

Wuhu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Wuhu

🇨🇳 China

$687

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $687 in Wuhu versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Wuhu $687
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Wuhu versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Wuhu $1,106
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,525 in Wuhu versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Wuhu $1,525
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Wuhu costs roughly 44% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Wuhu 50% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.53 ¥16.81

$4.53 ¥30.11

-44.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.78 ¥152

$30.16 ¥201

-24.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.36 ¥22.34

$5.11 ¥34.04

-34.25%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.37

$3.41 ¥22.70

-1.47%

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

$0.65 ¥4.30

$0.58 ¥3.85

12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.24

$0.35 ¥2.36

-2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.14

$1.23 ¥8.22

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.19

$2.31 ¥15.37

-1.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.63

$1.88 ¥12.52

1.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ¥11.09

$1.94 ¥12.88

-13.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.74

$0.98 ¥6.52

3.06%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.76

$1.70 ¥11.31

-4.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.49 ¥130

$17.02 ¥113

14.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$3.22 ¥21.41

17.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.14 ¥54.2

$12.93 ¥86.0

-37.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.73

$2.15 ¥14.31

-18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.70

$1.73 ¥11.48

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.03 ¥13.51

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.34

$1.73 ¥11.54

-10.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.83 ¥5.51

10.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.59

$0.92 ¥6.13

7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.25

$0.67 ¥4.48

-4.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.59 ¥3.92

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 ¥27.72

$3.77 ¥25.10

10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 ¥49.47

$11.03 ¥73.4

-32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.56

$0.90 ¥6.00

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.60 ¥10.67

-23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$0.57 ¥3.81

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.17 ¥114

$29.62 ¥197

-42.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.11

$2.14 ¥14.25

-42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ¥1.98

$0.47 ¥3.10

-36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.30 ¥48.59

$8.74 ¥58.2

-16.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.34 ¥8.94

-5.22%

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

$12.2K ¥81.4K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

-36.46%

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

$11.2K ¥74.8K

$18.3K ¥121.7K

-38.54%

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

$30.41 ¥202

$58.9 ¥392

-48.37%

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

$4.96 ¥33.03

$7.90 ¥52.6

-37.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.11 ¥74.0

$10.60 ¥70.5

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.06 ¥280

$64.8 ¥431

-35.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.20 ¥101

$17.47 ¥116

-12.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 ¥33.12

$9.06 ¥60.3

-45.03%

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

$585 ¥3,892

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-63.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥236.8K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

26.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.64 ¥151

$54.6 ¥363

-58.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.62 ¥197

$37.21 ¥248

-20.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ¥495

$74.6 ¥496

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.77 ¥298

$106 ¥707

-57.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,670

$1,026 ¥6,826

-75.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,279

$559 ¥3,722

-65.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥4,050

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-76.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,414

$1,191 ¥7,927

-69.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,254 ¥21.7K

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-75.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 ¥6,540

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-84.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$825 ¥5,492

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-51.80%

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 Wuhu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wuhu

$213 31%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 10.9% $23

Accommodation & Living

Wuhu

$192 28%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 191% $367

Eating Out

Wuhu

$85 12.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 25.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Wuhu

$77 11.2%

Shanghai

$123 10% 59% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Wuhu

$52 7.6%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 59.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wuhu

$46 6.8%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 66.5% $31

Getting Around

Wuhu

$21 3%

Shanghai

$36 3% 74.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Wuhu and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Wuhu vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $237 per month, with Wuhu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Wuhu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

Same time as Wuhu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,644,420

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wuhu Shanghai 290 km

From you

Wuhu
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

Wuhu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $687 in Wuhu and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Wuhu is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Wuhu. 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: $251 in Wuhu versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Wuhu 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 11% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $687 in Wuhu versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wuhu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Wuhu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wuhu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Wuhu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.