Cost of living comparison

compared to

Shanghai vs. Greensboro Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 41.9% cheaper than Greensboro.

Restaurants
pay 70.2% less in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 43.4% less in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 31.4% less in Shanghai
Housing
pay 47.2% less in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 42.4% more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 43.5% less in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 0.7% more in Shanghai

The cost of childcare and clothing in Shanghai are more expensive than in Greensboro. Expenses including restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in Shanghai.

Shanghai vs. Greensboro Cost Breakdown

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

pay 70.2% less for restaurants

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.25
 
$4.47
CN¥29.87
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.25
 
$5.22
CN¥34.85
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.27
 
$0.60
CN¥4.00

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pay 43.4% less for groceries

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$3.71
 
$1.98
CN¥13.19
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.48
 
$8.60
CN¥57.39
Milk (1 gallon) $3.19
 
$6.88
CN¥45.91

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pay 31.4% less for transportation

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.73
 
$4.96
CN¥33.13
Monthly public transit pass $58.00
 
$29.83
CN¥199.12
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,535.00
 
$19,374.76
CN¥129K

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pay 47.2% less for housing

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$63.16
 
$10.55
CN¥70.42
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,456.67
 
$1,036.96
CN¥6,921.79
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,073.83
 
$588.71
CN¥3,929.69

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pay 42.4% more for childcare

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $771.67
 
$1,413.50
CN¥9,435.22
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,000.00
 
$27,686.22
CN¥185K

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pay 43.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$1.19
CN¥7.96
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.90
 
$3.35
CN¥22.36
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.95
 
$3.73
CN¥24.89

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pay 0.7% more for clothing

 
Greensboro
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$51.50
 
$54.37
CN¥362.93
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.25
 
$37.09
CN¥247.61
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$70.00
 
$75.49
CN¥503.90

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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

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