Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yancheng and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yancheng: $668 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Yancheng
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Yancheng Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yancheng

🇨🇳 China

$668

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Yancheng versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Yancheng $668
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,126 in Yancheng versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Yancheng $1,126
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,584 in Yancheng versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Yancheng $1,584
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Yancheng costs roughly 46% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yancheng 51% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ¥13.25

$4.56 ¥30.47

-56.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.75 ¥159

$30.21 ¥202

-21.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.99 ¥19.98

$5.25 ¥35.13

-43.05%

Cappuccino

$3.14 ¥21.01

$3.28 ¥21.94

-4.27%

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

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.57 ¥3.84

-31.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.36 ¥2.39

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.23 ¥8.23

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$2.27 ¥15.18

33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.12

$1.84 ¥12.30

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$1.96 ¥13.08

9.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.42

$1.03 ¥6.87

7.77%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥12.41

$1.67 ¥11.16

11.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.40 ¥89.6

$16.96 ¥113

-20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.06

$3.19 ¥21.33

8.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ¥74.0

$12.90 ¥86.3

-14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ¥17.72

$2.24 ¥15.00

18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.66 ¥11.13

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.02 ¥13.54

-20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$1.66 ¥11.08

-29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.77 ¥5.17

-16.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.35

$0.93 ¥6.21

-13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$0.63 ¥4.19

1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.60 ¥3.99

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 ¥35.87

$3.80 ¥25.44

41.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$10.87 ¥72.7

9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.82 ¥5.51

13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$1.61 ¥10.76

38.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.61 ¥4.11

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.56 ¥104

$29.40 ¥197

-47.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$2.11 ¥14.11

-27.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.83

$0.43 ¥2.87

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.11 ¥60.9

$9.06 ¥60.6

0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.72

$1.33 ¥8.89

-2.26%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

2.15%

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

$19.2K ¥128.7K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

2.90%

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

$37.24 ¥249

$57.8 ¥387

-35.58%

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

$11.70 ¥78.2

$8.09 ¥54.1

44.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.30 ¥75.5

$10.48 ¥70.0

7.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.38 ¥263

$65.7 ¥439

-40.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.34 ¥95.9

$17.82 ¥119

-19.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.60

$8.95 ¥59.9

-32.18%

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

$445 ¥2,978

$1,414 ¥9,451

-68.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ¥107.9K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-42.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.66 ¥232

$54.0 ¥361

-35.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.51 ¥144

$37.09 ¥248

-42.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 ¥423

$74.3 ¥496

-14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.95 ¥301

$106 ¥706

-57.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,968

$1,055 ¥7,056

-72.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,084

$585 ¥3,910

-72.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 ¥4,548

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥2,724

$1,232 ¥8,240

-66.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,545 ¥23.7K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-74.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 ¥13.1K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-68.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Yancheng: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yancheng

$222 33.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 5.9% $13

Accommodation & Living

Yancheng

$162 24.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 261% $423

Eating Out

Yancheng

$78 11.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 35.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Yancheng

$74 11.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 64.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yancheng

$60 9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 26.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Yancheng

$52 7.7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 62.3% $32

Getting Around

Yancheng

$20 3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 78.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Yancheng and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Yancheng vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $235 per month, with Yancheng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yancheng

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

Same time as Yancheng

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,260,240

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Yancheng vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yancheng and Shanghai differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $1,244 including rent). Yancheng is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,002 in Yancheng and $1,865 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $294 in Yancheng versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $445 in Yancheng versus $1,414 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 $668 in Yancheng versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yancheng but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yancheng 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.

Expats usually find Yancheng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.