Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beijing 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Beijing is 6.1% lower than in Shanghai (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Beijing is 7.3% lower than in Shanghai
Rent Prices in Beijing are 9.6% lower than in Shanghai
Restaurant Prices in Beijing are 16.5% lower than in Shanghai
Groceries Prices in Beijing are 4.8% lower than in Shanghai
Local Purchasing Power in Beijing is 0.5% higher than in Shanghai
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 35.00 ¥ 30.00 ¥      -14.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 275.00 ¥ 200.00 ¥      -27.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 40.00 ¥ 35.75 ¥      -10.6 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 10.00 ¥ 8.00 ¥      -20.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 20.00 ¥ 15.00 ¥      -25.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 25.09 ¥ 24.02 ¥      -4.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.93 ¥ 3.13 ¥      -20.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.49 ¥ 2.17 ¥      -12.9 %
Markets
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 56.80 ¥ 47.24 ¥      -16.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 12.54 ¥ 10.30 ¥      -17.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.26 ¥ 3.49 ¥      +6.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 11.79 ¥ 12.30 ¥      +4.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 49.90 ¥ 47.23 ¥      -5.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 10.06 ¥ 10.61 ¥      +5.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 34.45 ¥ 31.71 ¥      -8.0 %
Apples (1 lb) 7.35 ¥ 6.91 ¥      -5.9 %
Banana (1 lb) 5.28 ¥ 5.30 ¥      +0.3 %
Oranges (1 lb) 5.47 ¥ 5.84 ¥      +6.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 4.68 ¥ 4.23 ¥      -9.5 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.71 ¥ 2.69 ¥      -0.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 3.69 ¥ 3.13 ¥      -15.3 %
Lettuce (1 head) 4.65 ¥ 5.14 ¥      +10.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 4.34 ¥ 3.83 ¥      -11.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 90.00 ¥ 69.00 ¥      -23.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 5.74 ¥ 6.02 ¥      +4.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 11.21 ¥ 12.40 ¥      +10.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 20.00 ¥ 25.00 ¥      +25.0 %
Transportation
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 4.00 ¥ 5.00 ¥      +25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 235.00 ¥ 225.00 ¥      -4.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 16.00 ¥ 13.00 ¥      -18.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 ¥ 4.02 ¥      -16.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 60.00 ¥ 80.00 ¥      +33.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 30.21 ¥ 30.79 ¥      +1.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 140,000.00 ¥ 134,000.00 ¥      -4.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 125,292.19 ¥ 113,011.11 ¥      -9.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 375.90 ¥ 385.58 ¥      +2.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 70.42 ¥ 62.62 ¥      -11.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 107.64 ¥ 91.93 ¥      -14.6 %
Sports And Leisure
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 366.15 ¥ 377.53 ¥      +3.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 138.56 ¥ 135.62 ¥      -2.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 60.00 ¥ 60.00 ¥      0.0 %
Childcare
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 9,101.28 ¥ 4,993.47 ¥      -45.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 226,200.00 ¥ 172,583.33 ¥      -23.7 %
Clothing And Shoes
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 435.54 ¥ 431.22 ¥      -1.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 256.46 ¥ 255.25 ¥      -0.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 574.96 ¥ 560.20 ¥      -2.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 707.87 ¥ 693.81 ¥      -2.0 %
Rent Per Month
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,785.71 ¥ 6,472.00 ¥      -4.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 3,953.33 ¥ 3,626.27 ¥      -8.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 17,125.00 ¥ 14,839.29 ¥      -13.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 8,464.29 ¥ 7,920.00 ¥      -6.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 9,891.07 ¥ 9,751.89 ¥      -1.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 5,161.24 ¥ 4,459.31 ¥      -13.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 10,781.76 ¥ 10,049.47 ¥      -6.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.62 3.65      +0.8 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
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