Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zunyi and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zunyi: $714 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zunyi
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Zunyi Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Zunyi

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Zunyi versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Zunyi $714
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Zunyi versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Zunyi $1,133
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,552 in Zunyi versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Zunyi $1,552
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Zunyi costs roughly 43% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zunyi 47% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.82 ¥18.83

$4.56 ¥30.47

-38.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.31 ¥143

$30.21 ¥202

-29.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 ¥31.69

$5.25 ¥35.13

-9.71%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥20.71

$3.28 ¥21.94

-5.49%

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

$0.46 ¥3.10

$0.57 ¥3.84

-19.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.36 ¥2.39

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$1.23 ¥8.23

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ¥14.19

$2.27 ¥15.18

-6.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.84 ¥12.30

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.96 ¥13.08

-20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.46

$1.03 ¥6.87

-5.83%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.25

$1.67 ¥11.16

-8.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$16.96 ¥113

-22.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.54

$3.19 ¥21.33

0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 ¥69.6

$12.90 ¥86.3

-19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$2.24 ¥15.00

-15.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.05

$1.66 ¥11.13

-27.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$2.02 ¥13.54

-23.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.36

$1.66 ¥11.08

-33.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$0.77 ¥5.17

-2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.93 ¥6.21

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.63 ¥4.19

-6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.40

$0.60 ¥3.99

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ¥20.83

$3.80 ¥25.44

-17.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$10.87 ¥72.7

-4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.38

$0.82 ¥5.51

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$1.61 ¥10.76

3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.61 ¥4.11

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.75 ¥112

$29.40 ¥197

-43.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.51

$2.11 ¥14.11

-32.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.43 ¥2.87

-18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 ¥44.03

$9.06 ¥60.6

-27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.57

$1.33 ¥8.89

-15.04%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

1.72%

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

$16.9K ¥113.1K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-9.57%

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

$44.30 ¥296

$57.8 ¥387

-23.37%

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

$10.08 ¥67.4

$8.09 ¥54.1

24.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.57 ¥77.4

$10.48 ¥70.0

10.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 ¥275

$65.7 ¥439

-37.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.79 ¥92.2

$17.82 ¥119

-22.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 ¥40.54

$8.95 ¥59.9

-32.29%

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

$332 ¥2,220

$1,414 ¥9,451

-76.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ¥111.2K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-40.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.38 ¥297

$54.0 ¥361

-17.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.52 ¥204

$37.09 ¥248

-17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$74.3 ¥496

-3.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 ¥490

$106 ¥706

-30.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,835

$1,055 ¥7,056

-73.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,271

$585 ¥3,910

-67.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,883

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-76.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,391

$1,232 ¥8,240

-70.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,041 ¥20.3K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-78.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,041 ¥13.6K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-67.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.36

15.77%

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

Last update for Zunyi: 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

Zunyi

$199 27.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 17.9% $36

Accommodation & Living

Zunyi

$190 26.6%

Shanghai

$585 47% 208% $395

Clothing & Footwear

Zunyi

$99 13.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 23% $23

Eating Out

Zunyi

$86 12%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 23.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zunyi

$66 9.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 15.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Zunyi

$53 7.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 57.1% $30

Getting Around

Zunyi

$21 3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 71.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Zunyi and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Zunyi vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $235 per month, with Zunyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zunyi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as Zunyi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,606,675

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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Between locations

Zunyi Shanghai 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zunyi
Shanghai

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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

Zunyi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zunyi and Shanghai differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($714 vs $1,244 including rent). Zunyi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,072 in Zunyi 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: $274 in Zunyi versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $332 in Zunyi 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 18% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Zunyi versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zunyi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Zunyi 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 Zunyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.