Cost of living comparison

Canada

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Richmond Hill Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 42.6% cheaper than Richmond Hill.

Restaurants: pay 66.5% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 40.4% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 37.4% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 57.6% less in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 3.3 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 32.7% less in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 1.3% more in Shanghai

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

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Shanghai vs. Richmond Hill Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of Richmond Hill, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 66.5% less for restaurants

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$17.53 CA$24.55	$4.47 CN¥29.86	-74.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.52 CA$14.73	$5.22 CN¥34.84	-50.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.72 CA$2.41	$0.60 CN¥4.00	-65.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.32 CA$1.84	$0.37 CN¥2.47	-71.9%
Average			-66.5%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 40.4% less for groceries

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$2.63 CA$3.68	$1.98 CN¥13.18	-24.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.36 CA$7.51	$8.60 CN¥57.38	+60.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$10.25 CA$14.36	$6.88 CN¥45.90	-32.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.38 CA$6.13	$1.70 CN¥11.33	-61.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.04 CA$7.05	$1.48 CN¥9.86	-70.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.66 CA$2.33	$0.99 CN¥6.63	-40.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.59 CA$0.82	$0.77 CN¥5.14	+31.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.52 CA$2.12	$0.90 CN¥6.03	-40.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.84 CA$2.57	$0.77 CN¥5.13	-58.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.92 CA$1.28	$0.36 CN¥2.39	-61.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.91 CA$1.27	$0.43 CN¥2.89	-52.3%
Average			-40.4%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 37.4% less for transportation

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.52 CA$6.33	$4.96 CN¥33.13	+9.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$108.01 CA$151.24	$29.83 CN¥199.09	-72.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$27,760.48 CA$38,871.61	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	-30.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.70 CA$16.38	$5.67 CN¥37.83	-51.5%
Average			-37.4%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 57.6% less for housing

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.49 CA$63.70	$10.55 CN¥70.41	-76.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,776.82 CA$2,487.99	$1,036.96 CN¥6,920.65	-41.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,753.44 CA$2,455.26	$588.71 CN¥3,929.04	-66.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$106.92 CA$149.71	$44.06 CN¥294.03	-58.8%
Average			-57.6%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 3.3 times more for childcare

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$346.92 CA$485.77	$1,413.50 CN¥9,433.67	+307.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,520.65 CA$14,731.53	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+163.2%
Average			+227.4%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 32.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.61 CA$7.86	$1.19 CN¥7.96	-78.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.60 CA$5.05	$3.35 CN¥22.36	-7.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.32 CA$18.65	$3.73 CN¥24.89	-72.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.71 CA$62.61	$65.69 CN¥438.41	+46.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.52 CA$14.73	$8.95 CN¥59.73	-14.9%
Average			-32.7%

Richmond Hill vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 1.3% more for clothing

	Richmond Hill	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.12 CA$60.38	$54.37 CN¥362.87	+26.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.37 CA$52.33	$37.09 CN¥247.57	-0.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$92.90 CA$130.08	$75.49 CN¥503.82	-18.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$101.98 CA$142.79	$105.70 CN¥705.47	+3.7%
Average			+1.3%

Richmond Hill 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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