Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Beijing 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Beijing are 10.2% lower than in Shanghai (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Beijing are 11.4% lower than in Shanghai
Rent Prices in Beijing are 13.3% lower than in Shanghai
Restaurant Prices in Beijing are 17.0% lower than in Shanghai
Groceries Prices in Beijing are 14.4% lower than in Shanghai
Local Purchasing Power in Beijing is 44.2% higher than in Shanghai
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 40.00 ¥ 35.00 ¥      -12.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 279.00 ¥ 200.00 ¥      -28.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 40.00 ¥ 40.00 ¥      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 10.00 ¥ 9.50 ¥      -5.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 30.00 ¥ 20.00 ¥      -33.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 27.95 ¥ 26.95 ¥      -3.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.93 ¥ 3.55 ¥      -9.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.57 ¥ 2.16 ¥      -15.9 %
Markets
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 64.89 ¥ 51.73 ¥      -20.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 15.07 ¥ 11.16 ¥      -25.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.75 ¥ 3.90 ¥      +3.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 13.75 ¥ 12.89 ¥      -6.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 60.95 ¥ 43.48 ¥      -28.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.65 ¥ 11.70 ¥      -14.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 41.18 ¥ 35.19 ¥      -14.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 7.59 ¥ 6.99 ¥      -7.8 %
Banana (1 lb) 5.30 ¥ 6.15 ¥      +16.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 6.91 ¥ 6.74 ¥      -2.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 5.11 ¥ 4.44 ¥      -13.1 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.96 ¥ 2.85 ¥      -3.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 3.58 ¥ 3.49 ¥      -2.5 %
Lettuce (1 head) 6.77 ¥ 6.02 ¥      -11.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 4.14 ¥ 3.74 ¥      -9.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 99.00 ¥ 75.00 ¥      -24.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 6.42 ¥ 6.85 ¥      +6.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 13.54 ¥ 14.39 ¥      +6.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 25.00 ¥ 26.00 ¥      +4.0 %
Transportation
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 4.00 ¥ 5.00 ¥      +25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 250.00 ¥ 300.00 ¥      +20.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 16.00 ¥ 13.00 ¥      -18.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 ¥ 4.18 ¥      -13.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 60.00 ¥ 80.00 ¥      +33.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 32.80 ¥ 32.75 ¥      -0.1 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 150,000.00 ¥ 160,000.00 ¥      +6.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 134,062.50 ¥ 151,568.18 ¥      +13.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 475.25 ¥ 403.88 ¥      -15.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 103.67 ¥ 77.86 ¥      -24.9 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 115.62 ¥ 106.61 ¥      -7.8 %
Sports And Leisure
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 490.58 ¥ 366.04 ¥      -25.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 108.81 ¥ 208.64 ¥      +91.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 70.00 ¥ 50.00 ¥      -28.6 %
Childcare
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 9,065.15 ¥ 6,313.85 ¥      -30.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 194,714.29 ¥ 192,272.73 ¥      -1.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 463.77 ¥ 416.57 ¥      -10.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 256.09 ¥ 251.20 ¥      -1.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 523.69 ¥ 614.34 ¥      +17.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 799.54 ¥ 829.08 ¥      +3.7 %
Rent Per Month
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,500.00 ¥ 6,541.38 ¥      +0.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 3,820.59 ¥ 4,087.80 ¥      +7.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 20,310.34 ¥ 16,344.83 ¥      -19.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 10,568.97 ¥ 8,727.03 ¥      -17.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 12,300.95 ¥ 10,864.21 ¥      -11.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 6,263.57 ¥ 5,377.45 ¥      -14.1 %
Salaries And Financing
Shanghai Edit Beijing Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 10,244.49 ¥ 13,089.64 ¥      +27.8 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.83 4.55      -5.8 %
Last update: September 2023October 2023
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