Cost of living comparison
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
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$1.23
CA$1.74
|
|
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
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.36
|
$4.03
CA$5.70
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.89
|
$6.08
CA$8.60
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.65
|
$2.65
CA$3.75
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.16
|
$0.31
CA$0.45
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.05
|
$1.67
CA$2.36
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.15
|
$1.59
CA$2.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.40
|
$1.25
CA$1.77
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.90
|
$1.27
CA$1.80
|
|
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
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.92
|
?? | |
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
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.77
|
$96.54
CA$136.68
|
|
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
|
?? | |
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
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥439.52
|
$13.33
CA$18.87
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.88
|
$10.52
CA$14.89
|
|
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
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥707.25
|
$140.28
CA$198.59
|
|
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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