Cost of living comparison

compared to

Fort St John vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

Fort St John is 28.8% more expensive than Shanghai.

Restaurants
pay 2.8 times more in Fort St John
Groceries
pay 82.3% more in Fort St John
Transportation
pay 7.3% less in Fort St John
Housing
pay 14.0% more in Fort St John
Childcare
pay 50.4% less in Fort St John
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.5% more in Fort St John
Clothing
pay 31.3% more in Fort St John

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

Fort St John vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Fort St John instead of Shanghai, you would:

pay 2.8 times more for restaurants

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.47
CN¥29.94
$17.53
CA$24.82
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.22
CN¥34.93
$9.12
CA$12.91
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.60
CN¥4.01
$1.75
CA$2.48

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pay 82.3% more for groceries

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Bread
1 loaf
$1.98
CN¥13.22
$2.80
CA$3.96
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.60
CN¥57.52
$5.96
CA$8.44
Milk (1 gallon) $6.88
CN¥46.02
$12.45
CA$17.63

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pay 7.3% less for transportation

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.96
CN¥33.21
$4.56
CA$6.45
Monthly public transit pass $29.83
CN¥199.59
$28.06
CA$39.72
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,374.76
CN¥130K
??

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pay 14.0% more for housing

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$10.55
CN¥70.59
$59.62
CA$84.40
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
$724.76
CA$1,026.07
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $588.71
CN¥3,938.93
$701.38
CA$992.97

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pay 50.4% less for childcare

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
$701.38
CA$992.97
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $27,686.22
CN¥185K
??

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pay 14.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.19
CN¥7.98
$6.22
CA$8.81
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.35
CN¥22.41
$3.86
CA$5.46
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.73
CN¥24.95
$14.37
CA$20.35

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pay 31.3% more for clothing

 
Shanghai
Fort St John
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$54.37
CN¥363.79
$70.10
CA$99.25
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.09
CN¥248.19
$46.22
CA$65.44
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$75.49
CN¥505.08
$105.21
CA$148.95

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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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