Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Ningbo Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 63.9% more expensive than Ningbo.

Restaurants: pay 36.0% more in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 27.1% more in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 19.3% more in Shanghai
Housing: pay 2.5 times more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 61.6% more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 31.5% more in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 30.9% more in Shanghai

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

Shanghai vs. Ningbo Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 36.0% more for restaurants

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.83 CN¥18.87	$4.47 CN¥29.79	+57.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.47 CN¥29.79	$5.22 CN¥34.75	+16.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.46 CN¥3.06	$0.60 CN¥3.99	+30.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.30 CN¥1.99	$0.37 CN¥2.46	+24.0%
Average			+36.0%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 27.1% more for groceries

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.15 CN¥7.67	$1.98 CN¥13.15	+71.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.46 CN¥49.65	$8.60 CN¥57.24	+15.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.76 CN¥45.01	$6.88 CN¥45.79	+1.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.59 CN¥10.60	$1.70 CN¥11.30	+6.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.69 CN¥11.26	$1.48 CN¥9.84	-12.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.47 CN¥3.15	$0.99 CN¥6.62	+109.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.70 CN¥4.65	$0.77 CN¥5.13	+10.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.69 CN¥4.62	$0.90 CN¥6.02	+30.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 CN¥3.60	$0.77 CN¥5.12	+42.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.27 CN¥1.80	$0.36 CN¥2.38	+32.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.33 CN¥2.20	$0.43 CN¥2.88	+31.4%
Average			+27.1%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 19.3% more for transportation

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.89 CN¥32.54	$4.96 CN¥33.05	+1.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$16.41 CN¥109.23	$29.83 CN¥198.59	+81.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	$19,374.76 CN¥129K
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.58 CN¥30.48	$5.67 CN¥37.73	+23.8%
Average			+19.3%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.5 times more for housing

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$7.95 CN¥52.96	$10.55 CN¥70.24	+32.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$357.96 CN¥2,383.10	$1,036.96 CN¥6,903.44	+189.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$181.96 CN¥1,211.41	$588.71 CN¥3,919.27	+223.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$39.13 CN¥260.49	$44.06 CN¥293.30	+12.6%
Average			+152.7%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 61.6% more for childcare

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$941.52 CN¥6,268.06	$1,413.50 CN¥9,410.21	+50.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$15,909.48 CN¥106K	$27,686.22 CN¥184K	+74.0%
Average			+61.6%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 31.5% more for entertainment and sports

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.04 CN¥6.95	$1.19 CN¥7.94	+14.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.48 CN¥23.17	$3.35 CN¥22.30	-3.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.47 CN¥29.79	$3.73 CN¥24.82	-16.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$25.21 CN¥167.81	$65.69 CN¥437.32	+160.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.83 CN¥52.13	$8.95 CN¥59.58	+14.3%
Average			+31.5%

Ningbo vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 30.9% more for clothing

	Ningbo	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$63.35 CN¥421.76	$54.37 CN¥361.97	-14.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.81 CN¥178.48	$37.09 CN¥246.96	+38.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$61.86 CN¥411.83	$75.49 CN¥502.56	+22.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$52.17 CN¥347.29	$105.70 CN¥703.72	+102.6%
Average			+30.9%

Ningbo 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 November 2026). How we calculate this

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