Cost of living comparison
Vancouver vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary
Vancouver is 87.8% more expensive than Shanghai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.9 times more in Vancouver
- Groceries
-
pay 54.4% more in Vancouver
- Transportation
-
pay 73.4% more in Vancouver
- Housing
-
pay 2.4 times more in Vancouver
- Childcare
-
pay 32.8% less in Vancouver
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 79.9% more in Vancouver
- Clothing
-
pay 13.8% less in Vancouver
The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries in Vancouver are more expensive than in Shanghai. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Vancouver. Notably, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Vancouver.
Vancouver vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Vancouver instead of Shanghai, you would:
pay 3.9 times more for restaurants
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.47
CN¥29.79
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.22
CN¥34.75
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.60
CN¥3.99
|
$3.01
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
CN¥2.46
|
$1.90
|
|
pay 54.4% more for groceries
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
CN¥13.15
|
$4.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.60
CN¥57.24
|
$5.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.88
CN¥45.79
|
$3.99
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.70
CN¥11.30
|
$4.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.48
CN¥9.84
|
$4.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
CN¥6.62
|
$1.93
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.13
|
$0.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.90
CN¥6.02
|
$1.25
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.12
|
$1.18
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.36
CN¥2.38
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
CN¥2.88
|
$0.83
|
|
pay 73.4% more for transportation
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.96
CN¥33.05
|
$5.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥198.59
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥129K
|
$36,318.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.67
CN¥37.73
|
$10.47
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.55
CN¥70.24
|
$63.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.96
CN¥6,903.44
|
$1,837.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$588.71
CN¥3,919.27
|
$1,503.33
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$44.06
CN¥293.30
|
$152.33
|
|
pay 32.8% less for childcare
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.50
CN¥9,410.21
|
$1,360.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,686.22
CN¥184K
|
$13,000.00
|
|
pay 79.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.19
CN¥7.94
|
$6.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
CN¥22.30
|
$5.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.82
|
$12.06
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.69
CN¥437.32
|
$41.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.95
CN¥59.58
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 13.8% less for clothing
|
Shanghai
|
Vancouver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.37
CN¥361.97
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.09
CN¥246.96
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.49
CN¥502.56
|
$85.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.70
CN¥703.72
|
$85.00
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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