Cost of living comparison
Grand Forks vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Grand Forks is 49.8% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.0 times more in Grand Forks
- Groceries
-
pay 72.6% more in Grand Forks
- Transportation
-
pay 10.3% less in Grand Forks
- Housing
-
pay 48.8% more in Grand Forks
- Childcare
-
pay 58.8% less in Grand Forks
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 85.6% more in Grand Forks
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in Grand Forks are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Grand Forks. Notably, restaurants and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Grand Forks.
Grand Forks vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Grand Forks instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 4.0 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.86
|
$21.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.84
|
$12.95
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥4.00
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$3.00
|
|
pay 72.6% more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.18
|
$3.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.38
|
$12.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥45.90
|
$4.24
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.33
|
$3.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.86
|
?? | |
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.63
|
?? | |
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.14
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.03
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.13
|
$1.45
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.39
|
$1.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.89
|
$1.29
|
|
pay 10.3% less for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.13
|
$3.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.09
|
$42.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥129K
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.83
|
?? | |
pay 48.8% more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.41
|
$72.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,920.65
|
$975.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,929.04
|
$806.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.03
|
$167.59
|
|
pay 58.8% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,433.67
|
$582.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
?? | |
pay 85.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.96
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.36
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.89
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥438.41
|
$62.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.73
|
$15.00
|
|
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Grand Forks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥362.87
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥247.57
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥503.82
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥705.47
|
?? |
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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