Cost of living comparison

compared to

Shanghai vs. Novi Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 41.1% cheaper than Novi.

Restaurants
pay 68.5% less in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 52.5% less in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 34.9% more in Shanghai
Housing
pay 54.3% less in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 18.4% more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.4% less in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 26.4% less in Shanghai

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

Shanghai vs. Novi Cost Breakdown

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

pay 68.5% less for restaurants

 
Novi
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.50
 
$4.47
CN¥29.87
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.50
 
$5.22
CN¥34.85
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $4.00
 
$0.60
CN¥4.00

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pay 52.5% less for groceries

 
Novi
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$3.93
 
$1.98
CN¥13.19
Local cheese (8 oz) $11.02
 
$8.60
CN¥57.39
Milk (1 gallon) $3.46
 
$6.88
CN¥45.91

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pay 34.9% more for transportation

 
Novi
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.68
 
$4.96
CN¥33.13
Monthly public transit pass ?? $29.83
CN¥199.12
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) ?? $19,374.76
CN¥129K

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pay 54.3% less for housing

 
Novi
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$78.33
 
$10.55
CN¥70.42
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,716.67
 
$1,036.96
CN¥6,921.79
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,246.67
 
$588.71
CN¥3,929.69

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pay 18.4% more for childcare

 
Novi
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,550.00
 
$1,413.50
CN¥9,435.22
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $18,000.00
 
$27,686.22
CN¥185K

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pay 24.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
Novi
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.50
 
$1.19
CN¥7.96
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.00
 
$3.35
CN¥22.36
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
?? $3.73
CN¥24.89

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pay 26.4% less for clothing

 
Novi
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
?? $54.37
CN¥362.93
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.00
 
$37.09
CN¥247.61
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$175.00
 
$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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