Cost of living comparison

Saudi Arabia

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Mecca Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 20.6% more expensive than Mecca.

Restaurants: pay 7.3% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 3.3% more in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 14.3% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 56.8% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 76.9% more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 16.7% less in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 77.6% more in Shanghai

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

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Shanghai vs. Mecca Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 7.3% less for restaurants

	Mecca	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.53 SAR17.00	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-1.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.93 SAR26.00	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-24.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.69 SAR2.60	$0.60 CN¥4.01	-13.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.24 SAR0.90	$0.37 CN¥2.47	+54.2%
Average			-7.3%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 3.3% more for groceries

	Mecca	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$0.98 SAR3.67	$1.98 CN¥13.22	+102.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.98 SAR11.17	$8.60 CN¥57.52	+188.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.49 SAR24.37	$6.88 CN¥46.02	+5.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.46 SAR9.23	$1.70 CN¥11.36	-31.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.71 SAR13.92	$1.48 CN¥9.89	-60.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.93 SAR3.48	$0.99 CN¥6.65	+7.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.73 SAR2.72	$0.77 CN¥5.16	+6.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.71 SAR2.67	$0.90 CN¥6.05	+26.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.68 SAR2.57	$0.77 CN¥5.15	+12.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.52 SAR1.95	$0.36 CN¥2.40	-31.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.58 SAR2.17	$0.43 CN¥2.90	-25.0%
Average			+3.3%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 14.3% less for transportation

	Mecca	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.35 SAR8.82	$4.96 CN¥33.21	+111.2%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$29.83 CN¥199.59
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$47,965.95 SAR180K	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-59.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.26 SAR61.00	$5.67 CN¥37.92	-65.1%
Average			-14.3%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 56.8% more for housing

	Mecca	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$62.84 SAR235.84	$10.55 CN¥70.59	-83.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$524.96 SAR1,970.09	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	+97.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$286.20 SAR1,074.05	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	+105.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$50.94 SAR191.19	$44.06 CN¥294.77	-13.5%
Average			+56.8%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 76.9% more for childcare

	Mecca	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$760.49 SAR2,854.01	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	+85.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$16,442.55 SAR61,706.21	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+68.4%
Average			+76.9%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 16.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Mecca	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.53 SAR5.75	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-22.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.60 SAR9.74	$3.35 CN¥22.41	+29.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.66 SAR25.00	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-44.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$81.01 SAR304.01	$65.69 CN¥439.52	-18.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.99 SAR45.00	$8.95 CN¥59.88	-25.4%
Average			-16.7%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 77.6% more for clothing

	Mecca	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$13.32 SAR50.00	$54.37 CN¥363.79	+308.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$57.02 SAR214.00	$37.09 CN¥248.19	-34.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$39.97 SAR150.01	$75.49 CN¥505.08	+88.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$53.30 SAR200.01	$105.70 CN¥707.25	+98.3%
Average			+77.6%

Mecca vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

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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 October 2026). How we calculate this

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