Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wuxi and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuxi: $758 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Wuxi
Learn more

Wuxi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Wuxi

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $758 in Wuxi versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Wuxi $758
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,199 in Wuxi versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Wuxi $1,199
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,639 in Wuxi versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Wuxi $1,639
Shanghai $2,720

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Wuxi 44% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 ¥24.49

$4.53 ¥30.07

-18.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 ¥157

$30.16 ¥200

-21.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 ¥30.60

$5.11 ¥33.99

-9.98%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ¥20.77

$3.41 ¥22.67

-8.21%

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

$0.52 ¥3.47

$0.58 ¥3.85

-10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.13

$0.35 ¥2.36

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.75

$1.23 ¥8.21

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ¥20.28

$2.31 ¥15.35

32.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ¥12.14

$1.88 ¥12.50

-2.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥14.26

$1.94 ¥12.86

10.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.34

$0.98 ¥6.51

12.24%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.73

$1.70 ¥11.29

12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 ¥91.9

$17.02 ¥113

-18.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ¥22.16

$3.22 ¥21.38

3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 ¥76.0

$12.93 ¥85.9

-11.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 ¥17.68

$2.15 ¥14.29

23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.73 ¥11.46

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.82

$2.03 ¥13.49

-19.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.78

$1.73 ¥11.52

-32.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$0.83 ¥5.50

-22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.33

$0.92 ¥6.12

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.67 ¥4.47

-5.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.59 ¥3.92

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 ¥35.17

$3.77 ¥25.06

40.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.2

$11.03 ¥73.3

6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$0.90 ¥5.99

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.43

$1.60 ¥10.66

35.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.57 ¥3.80

-24.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.44 ¥123

$29.62 ¥197

-37.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$2.14 ¥14.23

-28.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.85

$0.47 ¥3.10

-8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ¥58.0

$8.74 ¥58.1

-0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.49

$1.34 ¥8.92

-4.48%

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

$19.5K ¥129.7K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

1.37%

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

$18.8K ¥125.2K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

3.04%

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

$36.25 ¥241

$58.9 ¥391

-38.46%

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

$11.66 ¥77.5

$7.90 ¥52.5

47.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.85 ¥185

$10.60 ¥70.4

162.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.29 ¥314

$64.8 ¥431

-27.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 ¥48.15

$17.47 ¥116

-58.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.04

$9.06 ¥60.2

-35.21%

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

$436 ¥2,897

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-72.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ¥107.5K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-42.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.17 ¥234

$54.6 ¥363

-35.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.96 ¥146

$37.21 ¥247

-40.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 ¥436

$74.6 ¥495

-12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.15 ¥293

$106 ¥706

-58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,204

$1,026 ¥6,816

-67.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ¥1,353

$559 ¥3,716

-63.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 ¥3,871

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-77.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ¥2,556

$1,191 ¥7,915

-67.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,637 ¥24.2K

$13.4K ¥88.9K

-72.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,969 ¥13.1K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-69.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,059 ¥7,038

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-38.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

3.36

-6.85%

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

Last update for Wuxi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wuxi

$223 29.5%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 5.9% $13

Accommodation & Living

Wuxi

$204 26.9%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 175% $356

Eating Out

Wuxi

$98 12.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 9.6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wuxi

$76 10%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 2.2% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Wuxi

$75 9.9%

Shanghai

$123 10% 63.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Wuxi

$59 7.8%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 40.4% $24

Getting Around

Wuxi

$24 3.1%

Shanghai

$36 3% 52.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $332 in Wuxi and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Wuxi vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $237 per month, with Wuxi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Wuxi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

Same time as Wuxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,462,135

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

Wuxi Shanghai 120 km

From you

Wuxi
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

Wuxi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $758 in Wuxi and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Wuxi is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Wuxi. 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: $332 in Wuxi versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $436 in Wuxi 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 6% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $758 in Wuxi versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Wuxi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Wuxi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wuxi 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 Wuxi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.