Cost of living comparison

Suriname

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Paramaribo Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 23.7% more expensive than Paramaribo.

Restaurants: pay 59.9% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 36.4% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 15.3% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 88.4% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 18.9 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 45.3% more in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 34.6% more in Shanghai

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

Planning a move to China? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Shanghai vs. Paramaribo Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 59.9% less for restaurants

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$13.20 SRD496.97	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-66.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.99 SRD413.72	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-52.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.39 SRD52.25	$0.60 CN¥4.01	-56.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.84 SRD31.47	$0.37 CN¥2.47	-55.8%
Average			-59.9%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 36.4% less for groceries

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.37 SRD51.65	$1.98 CN¥13.22	+44.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.90 SRD222.10	$8.60 CN¥57.52	+45.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.81 SRD256.22	$6.88 CN¥46.02	+1.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.04 SRD114.28	$1.70 CN¥11.36	-44.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.78 SRD104.74	$1.48 CN¥9.89	-46.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.20 SRD82.78	$0.99 CN¥6.65	-54.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.39 SRD52.42	$0.77 CN¥5.16	-44.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.69 SRD63.71	$0.90 CN¥6.05	-46.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.71 SRD101.97	$0.77 CN¥5.15	-71.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.61 SRD22.95	$0.36 CN¥2.40	-41.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.89 SRD33.38	$0.43 CN¥2.90	-51.1%
Average			-36.4%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 15.3% less for transportation

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.36 SRD164.08	$4.96 CN¥33.21	+13.9%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$29.83 CN¥199.59
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,000.00 SRD941K	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-22.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$14.40 SRD542.03	$5.67 CN¥37.92	-60.6%
Average			-15.3%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 88.4% more for housing

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$30.37 SRD1,143.15	$10.55 CN¥70.59	-65.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$484.98 SRD18,255.37	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	+113.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$265.59 SRD9,997.38	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	+121.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$28.73 SRD1,081.26	$44.06 CN¥294.77	+53.4%
Average			+88.4%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 18.9 times more for childcare

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$62.79 SRD2,363.55	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	+2151.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$1,745.94 SRD65,719.74	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+1485.7%
Average			+1789.4%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 45.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.64 SRD99.39	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-54.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.83 SRD106.37	$3.35 CN¥22.41	+18.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$5.68 SRD213.70	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-34.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$13.54 SRD509.72	$65.69 CN¥439.52	+385.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.00 SRD188.21	$8.95 CN¥59.88	+79.0%
Average			+45.3%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 34.6% more for clothing

	Paramaribo	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$33.33 SRD1,254.67	$54.37 CN¥363.79	+63.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$21.08 SRD793.55	$37.09 CN¥248.19	+76.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$67.25 SRD2,531.34	$75.49 CN¥505.08	+12.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$103.71 SRD3,903.78	$105.70 CN¥707.25	+1.9%
Average			+34.6%

Paramaribo vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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

Compare further: Paramaribo vs. Shanghai

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Shanghai?

More cost comparisons

Paramaribo vs.

Lima

Paramaribo vs.

Berlin

Paramaribo vs.

Paris

Paramaribo vs.

Rome

Paramaribo vs.

Dublin

Paramaribo vs.

Sydney

Paramaribo vs.

Toronto

Paramaribo vs.

Madrid

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Suriname vs. China. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Suriname and China.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Paramaribo

Add prices for Shanghai

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Shanghai or Paramaribo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.