Cost of living comparison
Johnson City vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Johnson City is 53.0% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.9 times more in Johnson City
- Groceries
-
pay 89.4% more in Johnson City
- Transportation
-
pay 18.5% more in Johnson City
- Housing
-
pay 57.9% more in Johnson City
- Childcare
-
pay 33.1% less in Johnson City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.8% more in Johnson City
- Clothing
-
pay 12.2% less in Johnson City
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Johnson City are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Johnson City. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Johnson City.
Johnson City vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Johnson City instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 2.9 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.94
|
$14.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.93
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥4.01
|
$2.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$2.00
|
|
pay 89.4% more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.22
|
$3.86
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.52
|
$3.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥46.02
|
$3.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.36
|
$3.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.89
|
$6.23
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.65
|
$3.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.16
|
$0.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.05
|
$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.15
|
$1.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.40
|
$1.56
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.90
|
$1.96
|
|
pay 18.5% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.21
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.59
|
$37.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥130K
|
$32,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.92
|
$17.18
|
|
pay 57.9% more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.59
|
$62.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
|
$1,100.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,938.93
|
$919.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.77
|
$132.80
|
|
pay 33.1% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
|
$1,208.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
$14,500.00
|
|
pay 54.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.98
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.41
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.95
|
$7.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥439.52
|
$46.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.88
|
$12.00
|
|
pay 12.2% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Johnson City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥363.79
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥248.19
|
$31.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥505.08
|
$85.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥707.25
|
$95.00
|
|
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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