Cost of living comparison

compared to

Shanghai vs. Lima Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 55.5% more expensive than Lima.

Restaurants
pay 30.3% less in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 9.6% more in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 10.3% less in Shanghai
Housing
pay 7.5% more in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 5.0 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.5% more in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 3.4% more in Shanghai

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

Shanghai vs. Lima Cost Breakdown

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

pay 30.3% less for restaurants

 
Lima
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.28
PEN14.40
$4.21
CN¥29.67
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.14
PEN24.00
$5.61
CN¥39.56
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.01
PEN3.38
$0.52
CN¥3.70

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pay 9.6% more for groceries

 
Lima
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$2.67
PEN8.96
$1.86
CN¥13.11
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.52
PEN15.19
$8.08
CN¥56.99
Milk (1 gallon) $5.76
PEN19.35
$8.27
CN¥58.33

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pay 10.3% less for transportation

 
Lima
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.20
PEN17.47
$4.24
CN¥29.89
Monthly public transit pass $22.85
PEN76.80
$35.05
CN¥247.26
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,990.85
PEN67,198.40
$19,627.64
CN¥138,463.16

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pay 7.5% more for housing

 
Lima
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$24.99
PEN83.99
$12.37
CN¥87.29
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $661.42
PEN2,223.35
$926.30
CN¥6,534.61
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $374.24
PEN1,257.98
$551.44
CN¥3,890.16

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pay 5.0 times more for childcare

 
Lima
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $192.22
PEN646.14
$1,229.70
CN¥8,674.93
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,215.29
PEN27,615.34
$29,777.93
CN¥210,068.39

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pay 7.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Lima
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.28
PEN7.68
$1.40
CN¥9.89
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.61
PEN8.79
$3.25
CN¥22.92
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.71
PEN19.20
$2.80
CN¥19.78

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pay 3.4% more for clothing

 
Lima
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$51.07
PEN171.67
$46.70
CN¥329.48
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.74
PEN120.13
$37.62
CN¥265.42
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$83.99
PEN282.34
$72.33
CN¥510.26

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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: December 2025
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