Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

South Africa

Potchefstroom vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

Potchefstroom is 25.7% cheaper than Shanghai.

Restaurants: pay 40.1% more in Potchefstroom
Groceries: pay 14.1% less in Potchefstroom
Transportation: pay 36.1% more in Potchefstroom
Housing: pay 42.8% less in Potchefstroom
Childcare: pay 88.1% less in Potchefstroom
Entertainment and Sports: pay 19.5% less in Potchefstroom
Clothing: pay 32.3% less in Potchefstroom

The cost of restaurants and transportation in Potchefstroom are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Potchefstroom.

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Potchefstroom vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Potchefstroom instead of Shanghai, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 40.1% more for restaurants

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥29.94	$6.91 ZAR113.98	+54.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.93	$5.41 ZAR89.20	+3.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 CN¥4.01	$1.06 ZAR17.48	+76.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 CN¥2.47	$0.76 ZAR12.55	+105.8%
Average			+40.1%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.1% less for groceries

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Bread 1 loaf	$1.98 CN¥13.22	$1.10 ZAR18.21	-44.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.60 CN¥57.52	$3.83 ZAR63.18	-55.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.88 CN¥46.02	$4.45 ZAR73.36	-35.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.70 CN¥11.36	$2.40 ZAR39.64	+41.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.48 CN¥9.89	$2.04 ZAR33.72	+38.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.99 CN¥6.65	$0.68 ZAR11.24	-31.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.16	$0.68 ZAR11.24	-11.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 CN¥6.05	$0.79 ZAR13.11	-12.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.15	$0.55 ZAR8.99	-29.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.36 CN¥2.40	$0.50 ZAR8.18	+38.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.43 CN¥2.90	$0.49 ZAR8.09	+13.2%
Average			-14.1%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of groceries

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pay 36.1% more for transportation

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.21	$5.50 ZAR90.72	+10.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.83 CN¥199.59	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	$35,391.94 ZAR584K	+82.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.67 CN¥37.92	$6.55 ZAR108.03	+15.6%
Average			+36.1%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of transportation

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pay 42.8% less for housing

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.55 CN¥70.59	$36.83 ZAR607.50	+249.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	$280.41 ZAR4,625.11	-73.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	$320.47 ZAR5,285.84	-45.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.06 CN¥294.77	$115.49 ZAR1,904.94	+162.1%
Average			-42.8%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of housing

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pay 88.1% less for childcare

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	$123.18 ZAR2,031.74	-91.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	$4,506.61 ZAR74,332.08	-83.7%
Average			-88.1%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of childcare

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pay 19.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.98	$2.40 ZAR39.64	+101.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.35 CN¥22.41	$2.10 ZAR34.69	-37.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 CN¥24.95	$3.25 ZAR53.60	-12.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$65.69 CN¥439.52	$30.04 ZAR495.55	-54.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.95 CN¥59.88	$7.21 ZAR118.93	-19.4%
Average			-19.5%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 32.3% less for clothing

	Shanghai	Potchefstroom
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$54.37 CN¥363.79	$27.04 ZAR445.99	-50.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.09 CN¥248.19	$21.03 ZAR346.88	-43.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.49 CN¥505.08	$86.13 ZAR1,420.57	+14.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$105.70 CN¥707.25	$69.10 ZAR1,139.76	-34.6%
Average			-32.3%

Shanghai vs. Potchefstroom - Cost of clothing

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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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