Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Shanghai

🙂 Solo nomad: Xining is 20.4% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 38.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Xining is 20.7% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 42.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥19.61

$4.79 ¥33.89

-42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥151

$36.74 ¥260

-41.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥35.22

$5.73 ¥40.55

-13.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥20.98

$3.5 ¥24.77

-15.14%

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

$0.47 ¥3.33

$0.58 ¥4.07

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥2.06

$0.34 ¥2.4

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.9 ¥6.34

$1.43 ¥10.09

-37.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥14.43

$2.86 ¥20.23

-28.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥13.3

$2.08 ¥14.72

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥11.49

$1.8 ¥12.75

-9.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥6.28

$1.06 ¥7.5

-16.04%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.99

$1.61 ¥11.41

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 ¥89.3

$15.33 ¥108

-17.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ¥22.12

$3.24 ¥22.92

-3.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥71.4

$11.05 ¥78.1

-8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥13.25

$2.25 ¥15.92

-16.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.92

$1.73 ¥12.24

-27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.39

$1.79 ¥12.65

-17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥8.1

$1.53 ¥10.8

-24.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥5.22

$0.84 ¥5.92

-11.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.88

$1.17 ¥8.24

-17.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥4.01

$0.63 ¥4.45

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.85

$0.6 ¥4.26

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥21.81

$2.82 ¥19.93

9.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 ¥75.9

$11.13 ¥78.7

-3.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥5.21

$0.79 ¥5.56

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥11.57

$1.55 ¥10.94

5.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥2.06

$0.4 ¥2.86

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.73 ¥118

$34.65 ¥245

-51.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.6

$2.18 ¥15.43

-37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.49

$0.4 ¥2.84

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 ¥48.5

$8.6 ¥60.8

-20.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥8.3

$1.14 ¥8.04

2.63%

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

$19.5K ¥138K

$19.3K ¥136.8K

0.92%

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

$16.9K ¥119.8K

$18.1K ¥127.6K

-6.19%

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

$45.02 ¥318

$51.9 ¥367

-13.21%

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

$9.55 ¥67.5

$8.48 ¥60

12.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.5 ¥81.3

$13.83 ¥97.8

-16.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ¥293

$46.86 ¥331

-11.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.04 ¥99.3

$20.34 ¥144

-30.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 ¥42.08

$8.28 ¥58.6

-28.14%

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

$338 ¥2,388

$1,290 ¥9,121

-73.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥119.5K

$32K ¥226.3K

-47.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.99 ¥304

$58.9 ¥416

-27.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.94 ¥212

$37.09 ¥262

-19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 ¥514

$77.8 ¥550

-6.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥519

$96.6 ¥683

-24.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 ¥1,989

$934 ¥6,603

-69.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,337

$562 ¥3,973

-66.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ¥4,241

$2,460 ¥17.4K

-75.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,557

$1,172 ¥8,288

-69.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,024 ¥21.4K

$14.8K ¥104.3K

-79.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,055 ¥14.5K

$7,251 ¥51.3K

-71.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,535 ¥10.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.58

8.66%

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

Last update for Xining: November 24, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: November 23, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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