Cost of living comparison
Lake Charles vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Lake Charles is 54.9% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.7 times more in Lake Charles
- Groceries
-
pay 84.9% more in Lake Charles
- Transportation
-
pay 18.0% more in Lake Charles
- Housing
-
pay 61.1% more in Lake Charles
- Childcare
-
pay 36.1% less in Lake Charles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.2% more in Lake Charles
- Clothing
-
pay 16.6% less in Lake Charles
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Lake Charles are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Lake Charles. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Lake Charles.
Lake Charles vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lake Charles instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 3.7 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.87
|
$26.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.85
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥4.00
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$1.25
|
|
pay 84.9% more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.19
|
$4.12
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.39
|
$7.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥45.91
|
$5.14
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.33
|
$5.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.87
|
$4.61
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.63
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.14
|
$0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.03
|
$0.89
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.14
|
$2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.39
|
$1.96
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.89
|
$0.99
|
|
pay 18.0% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.13
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.12
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥129K
|
$35,578.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.83
|
$15.43
|
|
pay 61.1% more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.42
|
$57.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,921.79
|
$1,020.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,929.69
|
$904.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.08
|
$200.34
|
|
pay 36.1% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,435.22
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
$10,230.00
|
|
pay 43.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.96
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.36
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.89
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥438.48
|
$32.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.74
|
$12.00
|
|
pay 16.6% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥362.93
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥247.61
|
$43.07
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥503.90
|
$60.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥705.59
|
$120.31
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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