Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

United States

Saratoga Springs vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

Saratoga Springs is 2.0 times more expensive than Shanghai.

Restaurants: pay 3.0 times more in Saratoga Springs
Groceries: pay 97.9% more in Saratoga Springs
Transportation: pay 27.7% more in Saratoga Springs
Housing: pay 2.8 times more in Saratoga Springs
Childcare: pay 20.6% less in Saratoga Springs
Entertainment and Sports: pay 94.4% more in Saratoga Springs
Clothing: pay 12.2% more in Saratoga Springs

The cost of restaurants, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Saratoga Springs are more expensive than in Shanghai. Notably, restaurants, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Saratoga Springs.

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Saratoga Springs vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Saratoga Springs instead of Shanghai, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 3.0 times more for restaurants

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥29.87	$18.00	+302.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.85	$8.00	+53.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 CN¥4.00	$2.58	+330.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 CN¥2.47	$1.88	+406.9%
Average			+195.7%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of restaurants

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pay 97.9% more for groceries

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Bread 1 loaf	$1.98 CN¥13.19	$3.35	+69.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.60 CN¥57.39	$5.52	-35.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.88 CN¥45.91	$3.49	-49.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.70 CN¥11.33	$4.00	+135.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.48 CN¥9.87	$6.15	+316.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.99 CN¥6.63	$2.89	+191.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.14	$0.64	-17.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 CN¥6.03	$2.40	+165.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.14	$3.13	+307.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.36 CN¥2.39	$1.35	+276.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.43 CN¥2.89	$1.50	+245.1%
Average			+97.9%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of groceries

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pay 27.7% more for transportation

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.13	$3.56	-28.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.83 CN¥199.12	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥129K	$34,000.00	+75.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.67 CN¥37.83	$21.15	+273.1%
Average			+27.7%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.8 times more for housing

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.55 CN¥70.42	$57.50	+445.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,036.96 CN¥6,921.79	$2,509.67	+142.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$588.71 CN¥3,929.69	$1,574.33	+167.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.06 CN¥294.08	$178.92	+306.1%
Average			+183.5%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of housing

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pay 20.6% less for childcare

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,413.50 CN¥9,435.22	$1,400.00	-1.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	$17,625.00	-36.3%
Average			-20.6%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of childcare

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pay 94.4% more for entertainment and sports

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.96	$6.50	+444.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.35 CN¥22.36	$5.38	+60.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 CN¥24.89	$13.00	+248.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$65.69 CN¥438.48	$60.00	-8.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.95 CN¥59.74	$15.00	+67.6%
Average			+94.4%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 12.2% more for clothing

	Shanghai	Saratoga Springs
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$54.37 CN¥362.93	$54.61	+0.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.09 CN¥247.61	$47.98	+29.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.49 CN¥503.90	$95.00	+25.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$105.70 CN¥705.59	$102.50	-3.0%
Average			+12.2%

Shanghai vs. Saratoga Springs - 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 November 2026). How we calculate this

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