# Cost of living in Shanghai

What it costs to live in Shanghai, China — $1,146/month for one person renting a 1-bedroom in the centre, all-in.

## Monthly budgets by household

| Household | Total USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Single | $1,146 |
| Couple | $1,317 |
| Family (4) | $5,591 |
| Retirees | $1,317 |

Each total is rent plus food, utilities, transport, and the usual recurring costs — not a bare rent figure.

## Where the money goes (Single)

| Category | USD / month | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $907 | 1BR |
| Groceries & eating out | $132 |  |
| Transport | $29 |  |
| Utilities & phones | $78 |  |

## Rent

| Apartment | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | $566 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | $907 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | $1,196 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | $2,271 |

## Groceries

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Milk (1L) | $2.14 |
| Bread (loaf) | $1.83 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.97 |
| Rice (1kg) | $1.06 |
| Chicken (1kg) | $3.26 |
| Apples (1kg) | $2.42 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $1.68 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $0.79 |
| Water (1.5L) | $0.71 |
| Wine (mid-range) | $12 |
| Beer (0.5L) | $0.91 |

## Eating out

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Cheap meal | $4.41 |
| Mid-range dinner for 2 | $29 |
| Cappuccino | $3.18 |
| Beer (draught) | $1.18 |
| Coke (0.33L) | $0.56 |

## Getting around

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Monthly pass | $29 |
| Single ride | $0.44 |
| Taxi start | $2.06 |
| Taxi per km | $0.44 |
| Gasoline (1L) | $1.20 |

## Income and short stays

- **Average net salary (after tax):** $1,646/month
- **30-day trial stay (short-let, eating out, transport, SIM):** $1,755
- **Local currency:** CNY (1 USD ≈ 7.12 CNY)

## Cities with comparable costs

| City | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly total | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Seoul | $871 | $1,385 | /cost-of-living/seoul |
| Haifa | $1,054 | $2,257 | /cost-of-living/haifa |
| Almaty | $756 | $1,241 | /cost-of-living/almaty |
| Beijing | $1,059 | $1,304 | /cost-of-living/beijing |
| Shenzhen | $743 | $962 | /cost-of-living/shenzhen |

## Related pages

- Full city profile: /cities/shanghai

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cost-of-living/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.