Cost of living comparison
Baton Rouge vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Baton Rouge is 70.6% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.0 times more in Baton Rouge
- Groceries
-
pay 2.1 times more in Baton Rouge
- Transportation
-
pay 38.2% more in Baton Rouge
- Housing
-
pay 84.2% more in Baton Rouge
- Childcare
-
pay 29.9% less in Baton Rouge
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 69.6% more in Baton Rouge
- Clothing
-
pay 13.8% less in Baton Rouge
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Baton Rouge are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Baton Rouge. Notably, restaurants, groceries, and housing are significantly more expensive in Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Baton Rouge instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 3.0 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.86
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.84
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥4.00
|
$2.15
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$1.35
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.18
|
$2.93
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.38
|
$6.56
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥45.90
|
$5.03
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.33
|
$2.92
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.86
|
$6.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.63
|
$3.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.14
|
$1.32
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.03
|
$2.87
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.13
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.39
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.89
|
$1.22
|
|
pay 38.2% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.13
|
$3.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.09
|
$56.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥129K
|
$35,578.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.83
|
$13.94
|
|
pay 84.2% more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.41
|
$70.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,920.65
|
$1,351.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,929.04
|
$1,182.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.03
|
$105.62
|
|
pay 29.9% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,433.67
|
$1,925.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
$10,000.00
|
|
pay 69.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.96
|
$5.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.36
|
$6.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.89
|
$8.87
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥438.41
|
$52.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.73
|
$12.00
|
|
pay 13.8% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Baton Rouge
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥362.87
|
$33.32
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥247.57
|
$42.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥503.82
|
$87.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥705.47
|
$71.67
|
|
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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