Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yulin and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $699 in Yulin versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Yulin $699
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,123 in Yulin versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Yulin $1,123
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,548 in Yulin versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Yulin $1,548
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Yulin costs roughly 43% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yulin 49% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.10

$4.53 ¥30.11

-49.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ¥108

$30.16 ¥201

-46.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.60

$5.11 ¥34.04

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.27

$3.41 ¥22.70

-37.24%

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

$0.40 ¥2.67

$0.58 ¥3.85

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.58

$0.35 ¥2.36

-31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 ¥11.30

$1.23 ¥8.22

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.81

$2.31 ¥15.37

-3.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.24

$1.88 ¥12.52

-2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.94 ¥12.88

-15.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.98 ¥6.52

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.22

$1.70 ¥11.31

-0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 ¥80.9

$17.02 ¥113

-28.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥23.94

$3.22 ¥21.41

11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 ¥77.3

$12.93 ¥86.0

-10.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.49

$2.15 ¥14.31

-19.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$1.73 ¥11.48

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$2.03 ¥13.51

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$1.73 ¥11.54

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$0.83 ¥5.51

-8.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$0.92 ¥6.13

7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.67 ¥4.48

1.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.59 ¥3.92

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$3.77 ¥25.10

-8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 ¥68.8

$11.03 ¥73.4

-6.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.37

$0.90 ¥6.00

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$1.60 ¥10.67

-11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.57 ¥3.81

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.78 ¥132

$29.62 ¥197

-33.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ¥9.57

$2.14 ¥14.25

-32.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.48

$0.47 ¥3.10

-21.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 ¥52.9

$8.74 ¥58.2

-9.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.34 ¥8.93

5.22%

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

$17.2K ¥114.4K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

-10.70%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$18.3K ¥121.7K

-2.36%

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

$57.2 ¥380

$58.9 ¥392

-2.97%

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

$8.96 ¥59.6

$7.90 ¥52.5

13.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.40 ¥75.9

$10.60 ¥70.5

7.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 ¥274

$64.8 ¥431

-36.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 ¥112

$17.47 ¥116

-3.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.21

$9.06 ¥60.3

-28.37%

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

$421 ¥2,803

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-73.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ¥107.6K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.04 ¥286

$54.6 ¥363

-21.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 ¥216

$37.21 ¥248

-12.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥497

$74.6 ¥496

0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ¥500

$106 ¥707

-29.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,186

$1,026 ¥6,826

-67.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,081

$559 ¥3,722

-70.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ¥4,079

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-76.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,415

$1,191 ¥7,926

-69.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 ¥20.9K

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-76.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,915 ¥12.7K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-70.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,939

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-65.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Yulin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yulin

$205 29.3%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 15.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Yulin

$162 23.3%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 244% $397

Clothing & Footwear

Yulin

$101 14.5%

Shanghai

$123 10% 21% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yulin

$78 11.1%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 0.2% $0.1

Eating Out

Yulin

$74 10.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 44.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Yulin

$54 7.7%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 53.3% $29

Getting Around

Yulin

$24 3.5%

Shanghai

$36 3% 49.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Yulin and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Yulin vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $237 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yulin

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Yulin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

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

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Between locations

Yulin Shanghai 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Yulin
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

Yulin vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $699 in Yulin and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Yulin is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Yulin. 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: $329 in Yulin versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $421 in Yulin 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 16% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Yulin versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $800 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yulin 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 Yulin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.