Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiakou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
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Zhangjiakou Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Zhangjiakou $776
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,223 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Zhangjiakou $1,223
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,670 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Zhangjiakou $1,670
Shanghai $2,743

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhangjiakou 43% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.72

$4.45 ¥29.64

-50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.26 ¥161

$30.29 ¥202

-19.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 ¥39.37

$5.09 ¥33.86

16.11%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ¥23.30

$3.43 ¥22.85

2.04%

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

$0.50 ¥3.35

$0.62 ¥4.14

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.39 ¥2.57

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.23 ¥8.22

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$2.21 ¥14.74

-23.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$1.85 ¥12.31

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ¥14.73

$1.95 ¥12.97

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.07

$1.00 ¥6.64

6.00%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.03

$1.71 ¥11.38

-38.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.23 ¥101

$17.47 ¥116

-12.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 ¥19.80

$3.24 ¥21.57

-8.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 ¥63.8

$12.99 ¥86.5

-26.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.02

$2.24 ¥14.92

-25.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$1.68 ¥11.20

-44.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.70

$1.95 ¥12.97

-9.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$1.73 ¥11.55

-29.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.37

$0.76 ¥5.08

6.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.92 ¥6.12

-38.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.66 ¥4.39

-6.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$0.60 ¥3.98

23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 ¥24.17

$3.69 ¥24.54

-1.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 ¥90.5

$10.92 ¥72.7

24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.10

$0.87 ¥5.82

22.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 ¥16.16

$1.63 ¥10.82

49.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$0.62 ¥4.11

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥117

$30.38 ¥202

-42.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$2.06 ¥13.73

-47.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$0.46 ¥3.07

-28.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ¥41.37

$8.84 ¥58.9

-29.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.83

$1.33 ¥8.82

-11.28%

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

$19.6K ¥130.6K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

1.91%

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

$17.0K ¥113.3K

$18.2K ¥121.4K

-6.70%

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

$95.7 ¥637

$57.1 ¥380

67.55%

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

$6.22 ¥41.40

$8.07 ¥53.7

-22.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$10.70 ¥71.2

-28.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.01 ¥280

$64.6 ¥430

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.20 ¥101

$17.29 ¥115

-12.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 ¥48.57

$9.05 ¥60.2

-19.34%

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

$342 ¥2,275

$1,441 ¥9,595

-76.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,321 ¥35.4K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-81.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.73 ¥298

$53.5 ¥356

-16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.35 ¥189

$37.05 ¥247

-23.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 ¥643

$77.0 ¥512

25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥399

$104 ¥691

-42.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,954

$1,023 ¥6,811

-71.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,214

$594 ¥3,953

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ¥4,142

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥2,523

$1,213 ¥8,071

-68.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,446 ¥22.9K

$13.5K ¥90.0K

-74.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,966 ¥13.1K

$6,247 ¥41.6K

-68.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 ¥2,544

$1,699 ¥11.3K

-77.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.36

5.36%

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

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 11% $24

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 226% $412

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1%

Shanghai

$76 6% 30.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 18.2% $19

Eating Out

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 20.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 46.1% $26

Getting Around

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8%

Shanghai

$37 3% 73.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Zhangjiakou and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Zhangjiakou vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $238 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Zhangjiakou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,345,491

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zhangjiakou Shanghai 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiakou
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

Zhangjiakou vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou and Shanghai differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($776 vs $1,256 including rent). Zhangjiakou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Zhangjiakou. 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: $294 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $342 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,441 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou 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.