Cost of living comparison
East Lansing vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
East Lansing is 63.9% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.3 times more in East Lansing
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in East Lansing
- Transportation
-
pay 46.2% more in East Lansing
- Housing
-
pay 72.9% more in East Lansing
- Childcare
-
pay 57.0% less in East Lansing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.4% more in East Lansing
- Clothing
-
pay 6.6% less in East Lansing
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in East Lansing are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in East Lansing. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in East Lansing.
East Lansing vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in East Lansing instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 3.3 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.94
|
$16.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.93
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥4.01
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$2.17
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.22
|
$2.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.52
|
$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥46.02
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.36
|
$2.79
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.89
|
$7.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.65
|
$2.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.16
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.05
|
$3.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.15
|
$1.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.40
|
$2.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.90
|
$2.54
|
|
pay 46.2% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.21
|
$3.74
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.59
|
$50.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥130K
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.92
|
$34.85
|
|
pay 72.9% more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.59
|
$63.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
|
$1,207.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,938.93
|
$1,045.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.77
|
$134.29
|
|
pay 57.0% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
|
$648.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
$11,136.00
|
|
pay 46.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.98
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.41
|
$5.40
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.95
|
$9.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥439.52
|
$36.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.88
|
$11.00
|
|
pay 6.6% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
East Lansing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥363.79
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥248.19
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥505.08
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥707.25
|
$85.00
|
|
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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