Cost of living comparison
Plano vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Plano is 82.7% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.4 times more in Plano
- Groceries
-
pay 65.1% more in Plano
- Transportation
-
pay 64.5% more in Plano
- Housing
-
pay 2.1 times more in Plano
- Childcare
-
pay 8.9% less in Plano
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.1 times more in Plano
- Clothing
-
pay 4.7% less in Plano
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and transportation in Plano are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Plano. Notably, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Plano.
Plano vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Plano instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 3.4 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.94
|
$20.00
|
|
|
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
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.47
|
$2.30
|
|
pay 65.1% more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.22
|
$3.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.52
|
$6.56
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥46.02
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.36
|
$4.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.89
|
$5.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.65
|
$2.09
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.16
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.05
|
$1.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.15
|
$1.39
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.40
|
$1.07
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.90
|
$1.16
|
|
pay 64.5% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.21
|
$3.58
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.59
|
$105.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥130K
|
$36,232.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.92
|
$17.00
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.59
|
$55.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,938.07
|
$1,544.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,938.93
|
$1,228.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥294.77
|
$148.61
|
|
pay 8.9% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,457.42
|
$1,333.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥185K
|
$24,380.00
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.98
|
$6.90
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.41
|
$5.64
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.95
|
$9.46
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥439.52
|
$93.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.88
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 4.7% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Plano
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥363.79
|
$59.60
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥248.19
|
$38.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥505.08
|
$86.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥707.25
|
$67.50
|
|
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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