Cost of living comparison

compared to

Shanghai vs. Quito Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 26.6% more expensive than Quito.

Restaurants
pay 37.0% less in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 15.0% more in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 14.3% more in Shanghai
Housing
pay 84.6% more in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.9% less in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 22.0% less in Shanghai

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

Shanghai vs. Quito Cost Breakdown

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

pay 37.0% less for restaurants

 
Quito
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.00
 
$4.47
CN¥29.94
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.67
 
$5.22
CN¥34.93
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.40
 
$0.60
CN¥4.01

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pay 15.0% more for groceries

 
Quito
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$1.57
 
$1.98
CN¥13.22
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.21
 
$8.60
CN¥57.52
Milk (1 gallon) $4.29
 
$6.88
CN¥46.02

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pay 14.3% more for transportation

 
Quito
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.17
 
$4.96
CN¥33.21
Monthly public transit pass $21.00
 
$29.83
CN¥199.59
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,000.00
 
$19,374.76
CN¥130K

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pay 84.6% more for housing

 
Quito
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.45
 
$10.55
CN¥70.59
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $482.78
 
$1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $313.44
 
$588.71
CN¥3,938.93

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pay 2.4 times more for childcare

 
Quito
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $743.00
 
$1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,951.43
 
$27,686.22
CN¥185K

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pay 8.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Quito
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.50
 
$1.19
CN¥7.98
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.38
 
$3.35
CN¥22.41
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.00
 
$3.73
CN¥24.95

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pay 22.0% less for clothing

 
Quito
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$70.10
 
$54.37
CN¥363.79
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.62
 
$37.09
CN¥248.19
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$115.66
 
$75.49
CN¥505.08

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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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