Shanghai vs Washington - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Shanghai Washington
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1190
$3079
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3757
$7509
🏠 One person rent
$635
$2032
🏘️ Family rent
$1613
$3829
🍽️ Food expenses
$308
$700
🚐 Transport expenses
$117
$156
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1455
$6776
😷 Air quality
Moderate
Excellent
✈️ Airport proximity
13 km
5 km
🎓 Higher education
100
100
😀 Quality of life
78
95
🏙️ Population
24.9M
690K

The cost of living in Shanghai is 61% less expensive than in Washington. Cities ranked 4461st and 96th ($1190 vs $3079) in the list of the most expensive cities in the world and ranked 6th and 82nd in China and the United States, respectively. Check China vs the United States comparison.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.2 months in Shanghai compared to 2.2 months in Washington. Shanghai ranked 4th best city to live in China vs Washington ranked 3rd in the United States, while ranked 558th and 22nd among best cities to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Shanghai vs Washington infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Shanghai vs Washington

Prices for goods and services in Shanghai and Washington are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.

Shanghai Washington
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$4.9
$21.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$40.7
$87.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.69
$11.6
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.7
$8.43
☕ Cappuccino
$3.83
$5.53
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.55
$2.45
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$901
$2233
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$497
$1772
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2595
$4714
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1269
$3322
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$39.1
$111
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$60.5
$171
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$17.9
$57.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.77%
6.6%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$17366
$9149
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$9346
$6215
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.56
$2.47
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$37.3
$86.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$6
$21.4
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.19
$0.95
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.55
$1.13
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.02
$3.79
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$4.34
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.21
$4.32
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.3
$14.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.12
$12.5
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.8
$17.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.27
$5.01
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$2.3
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.97
$5.13
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.52
$5.86
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.96
$3.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.04
$3.55
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$1.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.25
$2.29
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$14.7
$16.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.9
$2.97
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.45
$11.7
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$6.43
$9.21
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$7.06
$4.8
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.68
$5.04
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2
$2.42
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$69.1
$97.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.16
$14.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$89.7
$117
💇 Haircut, simple
$12
$29.7
👖 Brand Jeans
$66.7
$66.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78.5
$110
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1283
$2314
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$28143
$28279

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

More cities to compare

Cost of Living in the nearest cities

Cities near Shanghai

Distance City Cost of living
9.4 km or 5.8 mi Pudong
$1074
47 km or 29 mi Taicang
$731
53 km or 33 mi Kunshan
$771
74 km or 46 mi Qidong
$763
82 km or 51 mi Suzhou
$1020
82 km or 51 mi Jiaxing
$596
85 km or 53 mi Haimen
$682
88 km or 55 mi Changshu
$731
106 km or 66 mi Nantong
$651
117 km or 73 mi Zhangjiagang
$678
121 km or 75 mi Wuxi
$687
135 km or 84 mi Huzhou
$699
141 km or 87 mi Jiangyin
$688
142 km or 88 mi Zhoushan
$690
144 km or 89 mi Ningbo
$677
148 km or 92 mi Jingjiang
$675
155 km or 96 mi Shaoxing
$755
158 km or 98 mi Yixing
$707
159 km or 99 mi Changzhou
$713
160 km or 100 mi Rugao
$682
161 km or 100 mi Hangzhou
$831
177 km or 110 mi Taixing
$665
179 km or 111 mi Hai'an
$679
191 km or 119 mi Liyang
$694
197 km or 122 mi Yangzhong
$625
198 km or 123 mi Guangde
$707
201 km or 125 mi Danyang
$625
208 km or 129 mi Taizhou
$651
217 km or 135 mi Dongtai
$703
223 km or 139 mi Zhenjiang
$524
235 km or 146 mi Yangzhou
$631
236 km or 146 mi Jurong
$645
244 km or 152 mi Ningguo
$720
246 km or 153 mi Yiwu
$725
250 km or 155 mi Xinghua
$696
250 km or 156 mi Yizheng
$617
259 km or 161 mi Linhai
$719
260 km or 161 mi Xuancheng
$789
262 km or 163 mi Gaoyou
$652
274 km or 170 mi Nanjing
$740

Cities near Washington

Distance City Cost of living
2.5 km or 1.5 mi Georgetown
$2844
9.5 km or 5.9 mi Bailey's Crossroads
$2535
10 km or 6.3 mi Alexandria
$2982
11 km or 6.8 mi Bethesda
$2685
12 km or 7.5 mi Silver Spring
$2150
15 km or 9.2 mi College Park
$2369
17 km or 11 mi Springfield
$2215
17 km or 11 mi Greenbelt
$2359
23 km or 14 mi Rockville
$2325
24 km or 15 mi Fairfax
$2730
26 km or 16 mi Bowie
$2362
27 km or 17 mi Laurel
$2258
28 km or 17 mi Reston
$2714
30 km or 19 mi Waldorf
$2428
31 km or 19 mi Gaithersburg
$2662
32 km or 20 mi Herndon
$2518
34 km or 21 mi Woodbridge
$2592
34 km or 21 mi Marumsco
$2522
36 km or 22 mi Centreville
$3110
37 km or 23 mi Germantown
$2591
38 km or 23 mi Columbia
$2674
41 km or 26 mi Manassas
$2426
42 km or 26 mi Ashburn
$2863
47 km or 29 mi Annapolis
$2849
49 km or 31 mi Catonsville
$2421
51 km or 32 mi Leesburg
$2685
57 km or 35 mi Eldersburg
$2367
57 km or 35 mi Baltimore
$2197
61 km or 38 mi Owings Mills
$2518
68 km or 42 mi Frederick
$2308
76 km or 47 mi Fredericksburg
$2241
83 km or 52 mi Charles Town
$1876
87 km or 54 mi Edgewood
$2433
92 km or 57 mi Bel Air South
$2416
93 km or 58 mi Bel Air North
$2401
102 km or 63 mi Hanover
$2116
102 km or 63 mi Hagerstown
$1906
103 km or 64 mi Winchester
$2255
106 km or 66 mi Waynesboro
$2107
122 km or 76 mi York
$1846