# Shanghai — relocation profile

Shanghai, China · Authoritarian regime · livability 68/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** China
- **Region:** Asia
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $1,987/month
- **Livability score:** 68 / 100 (rank 73 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 55 / 100 (rank 93 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 79% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Budget Maximizers, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Hidden Gems, Asia & Pacific

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $907 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $566 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $2,271 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $1,646 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$1,987** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $4,229.

Reference point: 14% cheaper than Beijing.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 1.9
- **Regime type:** Authoritarian regime
- **Homicide rate:** 0.5 per 100,000/year
- **English proficiency:** Low (EF EPI 464)
- **Main languages:** Mandarin

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 24–31°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 3–11°C
- **Internet speed:** 281.11 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 73.2
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $27,105 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 0.2% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 4.6% (2025)

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Beijing | China | $1,059 | $2,159 | /cities/beijing |
| Shenzhen | China | $743 | $1,750 | /cities/shenzhen |
| Almaty | Kazakhstan | $756 | $1,991 | /cities/almaty |
| Da Nang | Vietnam | $475 | $1,183 | /cities/da-nang |
| Tashkent | Uzbekistan | $609 | $1,484 | /cities/tashkent |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/shanghai
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/shanghai/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/shanghai) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.