Cost of living comparison

compared to

Shanghai vs. Dayton Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 14.5% more expensive than Dayton.

Restaurants
pay 68.8% less in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 22.8% less in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 30.3% less in Shanghai
Housing
pay 54.6% less in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 4.1 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.1% less in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 7.3% less in Shanghai

Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in Shanghai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.

Shanghai vs. Dayton Cost Breakdown

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

pay 68.8% less for restaurants

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.00
 
$4.21
CN¥28.47
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.00
 
$5.61
CN¥37.96
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.35
 
$0.52
CN¥3.55

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pay 22.8% less for groceries

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$2.60
 
$1.86
CN¥12.58
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.69
 
$8.08
CN¥54.69
Milk (1 gallon) $2.81
 
$8.27
CN¥55.97

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pay 30.3% less for transportation

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.08
 
$4.24
CN¥28.68
Monthly public transit pass $60.00
 
$35.05
CN¥237.27
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,111.63
 
$19,627.64
CN¥133K

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pay 54.6% less for housing

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$58.60
 
$12.37
CN¥83.77
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,225.00
 
$926.30
CN¥6,270.71
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $935.00
 
$551.44
CN¥3,733.05

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pay 4.1 times more for childcare

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $550.00
 
$1,229.70
CN¥8,324.58
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,000.00
 
$29,777.93
CN¥202K

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pay 24.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.25
 
$1.40
CN¥9.49
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.13
 
$3.25
CN¥21.99
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.29
 
$2.80
CN¥18.98

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pay 7.3% less for clothing

 
Dayton
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.25
 
$46.70
CN¥316.17
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$52.00
 
$37.62
CN¥254.70
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$75.00
 
$72.33
CN¥489.65

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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