Cost of living comparison

Philippines

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Cebu Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 31.3% more expensive than Cebu.

Restaurants: pay 15.2% more in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 15.1% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 29.9% more in Shanghai
Housing: pay 47.8% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 4.2 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 34.7% more in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 31.2% more in Shanghai

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and restaurants in Shanghai are more expensive than in Cebu. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.

Planning a move to China? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Shanghai vs. Cebu Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of Cebu, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 15.2% more for restaurants

	Cebu	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.02 ₱190.63	$4.47 CN¥29.87	+48.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$3.98 ₱251.49	$5.22 CN¥34.85	+31.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.58 ₱99.44	$0.60 CN¥4.00	-62.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.51 ₱32.47	$0.37 CN¥2.47	-28.1%
Average			+15.2%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 15.1% less for groceries

	Cebu	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.39 ₱87.81	$1.98 CN¥13.19	+42.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.99 ₱314.64	$8.60 CN¥57.39	+72.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.45 ₱470.31	$6.88 CN¥45.91	-7.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.01 ₱126.68	$1.70 CN¥11.33	-15.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.04 ₱128.61	$1.48 CN¥9.87	-27.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.54 ₱97.24	$0.99 CN¥6.63	-35.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.65 ₱40.78	$0.77 CN¥5.14	+19.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.06 ₱67.20	$0.90 CN¥6.03	-15.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.69 ₱43.29	$0.77 CN¥5.14	+12.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.08 ₱68.33	$0.36 CN¥2.39	-66.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.88 ₱55.49	$0.43 CN¥2.89	-50.7%
Average			-15.1%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 29.9% more for transportation

	Cebu	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.11 ₱322.37	$4.96 CN¥33.13	-2.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$12.43 ₱784.66	$29.83 CN¥199.12	+139.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,359.52 ₱1M	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	-9.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.49 ₱156.93	$5.67 CN¥37.83	+127.9%
Average			+29.9%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 47.8% more for housing

	Cebu	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.82 ₱1,755.69	$10.55 CN¥70.42	-62.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$508.05 ₱32,062.99	$1,036.96 CN¥6,921.79	+104.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$303.66 ₱19,163.72	$588.71 CN¥3,929.69	+93.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$92.43 ₱5,833.21	$44.06 CN¥294.08	-52.3%
Average			+47.8%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 4.2 times more for childcare

	Cebu	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$276.74 ₱17,464.80	$1,413.50 CN¥9,435.22	+410.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,014.25 ₱506K	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+245.5%
Average			+320.1%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 34.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Cebu	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.75 ₱110.66	$1.19 CN¥7.96	-31.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.52 ₱159.28	$3.35 CN¥22.36	+32.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.94 ₱185.36	$3.73 CN¥24.89	+27.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$32.41 ₱2,045.47	$65.69 CN¥438.48	+102.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.58 ₱352.09	$8.95 CN¥59.74	+60.4%
Average			+34.7%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 31.2% more for clothing

	Cebu	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$48.78 ₱3,078.69	$54.37 CN¥362.93	+11.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$25.04 ₱1,580.12	$37.09 CN¥247.61	+48.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$76.71 ₱4,841.08	$75.49 CN¥503.90	-1.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$58.05 ₱3,663.52	$105.70 CN¥705.59	+82.1%
Average			+31.2%

Cebu vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cebu vs. Shanghai

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Shanghai?

More cost comparisons

Cebu vs.

Lima

Cebu vs.

Ho Chi Minh City

Cebu vs.

London

Cebu vs.

Rome

Cebu vs.

Paris

Cebu vs.

New York City

Cebu vs.

Sydney

Cebu vs.

Warsaw

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Philippines vs. China. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Philippines and China.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Cebu

Add prices for Shanghai

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Shanghai or Cebu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.