Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

United States

West Lafayette vs. Shanghai Cost of Living Summary

West Lafayette is 57.1% more expensive than Shanghai.

Restaurants: pay 2.2 times more in West Lafayette
Groceries: pay 69.5% more in West Lafayette
Transportation: pay 13.8% more in West Lafayette
Housing: pay 94.6% more in West Lafayette
Childcare: pay 29.3% less in West Lafayette
Entertainment and Sports: pay 45.7% more in West Lafayette
Clothing: pay 4.7% more in West Lafayette

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

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West Lafayette vs. Shanghai Cost Breakdown

If you lived in West Lafayette instead of Shanghai, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.2 times more for restaurants

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥29.94	$12.00	+168.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.93	$6.50	+24.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.60 CN¥4.01	$1.88	+212.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 CN¥2.47	$1.54	+315.4%
Average			+117.5%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of restaurants

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pay 69.5% more for groceries

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Bread 1 loaf	$1.98 CN¥13.22	$3.28	+65.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.60 CN¥57.52	$11.02	+28.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.88 CN¥46.02	$2.48	-63.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.70 CN¥11.36	$3.75	+120.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.48 CN¥9.89	$2.70	+82.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.99 CN¥6.65	$2.00	+101.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.16	$0.57	-26.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 CN¥6.05	$1.50	+65.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.77 CN¥5.15	$2.30	+198.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.36 CN¥2.40	$1.50	+319.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.43 CN¥2.90	$1.50	+246.2%
Average			+69.5%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of groceries

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pay 13.8% more for transportation

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.21	$3.41	-31.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.83 CN¥199.59	$28.00	-6.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	$36,915.00	+90.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.67 CN¥37.92	$12.96	+128.6%
Average			+13.8%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of transportation

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pay 94.6% more for housing

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.55 CN¥70.59	$64.06	+507.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	$1,400.00	+35.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	$1,250.00	+112.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.06 CN¥294.77	$123.09	+179.4%
Average			+94.6%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of housing

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pay 29.3% less for childcare

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	$1,000.00	-29.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	??
Average			-29.3%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of childcare

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pay 45.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.98	$5.17	+333.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.35 CN¥22.41	$4.50	+34.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 CN¥24.95	$12.00	+221.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$65.69 CN¥439.52	$30.00	-54.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.95 CN¥59.88	$13.50	+50.9%
Average			+45.7%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 4.7% more for clothing

	Shanghai	West Lafayette
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$54.37 CN¥363.79	$75.00	+37.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.09 CN¥248.19	$42.50	+14.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$75.49 CN¥505.08	$67.50	-10.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$105.70 CN¥707.25	$90.00	-14.9%
Average			+4.7%

Shanghai vs. West Lafayette - 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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