Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yakutsk and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Yakutsk and in Shanghai: $1,244 and $1,250 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Yakutsk
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Yakutsk Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yakutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,244

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Yakutsk versus $1,250 in Shanghai.

Yakutsk $1,244
Shanghai $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,809 in Yakutsk versus $2,019 in Shanghai.

Yakutsk $1,809
Shanghai $2,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,374 in Yakutsk versus $2,789 in Shanghai.

Yakutsk $2,374
Shanghai $2,789

Monthly costs are close between Yakutsk and Shanghai; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yakutsk 7% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.07 ₽1,196

$4.55 ¥30.45

209.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 ₽3,450

$29.52 ¥198

37.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 ₽771

$5.10 ¥34.13

77.84%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ₽345

$3.42 ¥22.92

18.71%

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

$1.72 ₽146

$0.61 ¥4.12

181.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽78.4

$0.36 ¥2.41

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₽303

$1.21 ¥8.08

194.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₽198

$2.29 ¥15.33

1.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ₽154

$1.86 ¥12.48

-2.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₽78.9

$2.01 ¥13.47

-53.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 ₽139

$1.02 ¥6.84

60.78%

Eggs

$2.21 ₽188

$1.72 ¥11.48

28.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 ₽1,166

$17.19 ¥115

-20.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 ₽676

$3.35 ¥22.43

137.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ₽1,019

$12.80 ¥85.7

-6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ₽253

$2.17 ¥14.54

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 ₽202

$1.74 ¥11.67

36.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 ₽256

$1.94 ¥12.99

55.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 ₽420

$1.68 ¥11.25

194.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₽98.1

$0.77 ¥5.18

49.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₽98.2

$0.93 ¥6.22

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ₽98.9

$0.62 ¥4.17

87.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₽89.3

$0.58 ¥3.88

81.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

Wine (Bottle)

$9.30 ₽791

$10.94 ¥73.2

-14.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₽116

$0.84 ¥5.60

63.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₽248

$1.60 ¥10.73

82.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₽58.7

$0.59 ¥3.92

16.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.37 ₽1,647

$30.27 ¥203

-36.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₽158

$2.06 ¥13.79

-9.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₽16.99

$0.47 ¥3.13

-57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 ₽412

$8.80 ¥58.9

-44.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽74.2

$1.27 ¥8.53

-31.50%

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

$18.0K ₽1.5M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-8.16%

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

$18.9K ₽1.6M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

1.97%

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

$193 ₽16.4K

$57.2 ¥383

237.59%

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

$4.72 ₽402

$8.06 ¥53.9

-41.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.74 ₽913

$10.52 ¥70.4

2.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.5 ₽6,080

$64.6 ¥433

10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 ₽607

$8.84 ¥59.1

-19.23%

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

$461 ₽39.2K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-67.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 ₽74.4K

$1,039 ¥6,956

-15.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₽34.8K

$589 ¥3,940

-30.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 ₽101.0K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-52.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 ₽50.6K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-51.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,145 ₽182.4K

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-84.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 ₽163.2K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-68.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$926 ₽78.7K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-46.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

525.00%

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

Last update for Yakutsk: October 4, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yakutsk

$409 33.2%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 43.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Yakutsk

$280 22.8%

Shanghai

$237 19% 15.4% $43

Eating Out

Yakutsk

$222 18%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 51.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yakutsk

$209 17%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 63.7% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Yakutsk

$86 7%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 4.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Yakutsk

$25 2%

Shanghai

$37 3% 48.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Yakutsk

- * 0%

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $875 in Yakutsk and $1,039 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41.00 in Yakutsk vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $237 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yakutsk

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h behind Yakutsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

361,154

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yakutsk Shanghai 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yakutsk
Shanghai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Yakutsk vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Shanghai. 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: $875 in Yakutsk versus $1,039 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yakutsk runs roughly 56% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,244 in Yakutsk versus $1,250 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yakutsk but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yakutsk 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.

Safety-wise, Yakutsk and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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