Living Costs in Shanghai

First and foremost, Shanghai is the most expensive city in the world, with the average monthly rent of ¥9,000, which is equivalent to $1400. Although this is a massive amount of money for a city with an average income of ¥5,000, it is not the only reason why people can’t afford to live.

Things like personal preference, whether they live with roommates or not, the availability of affordable housing, whether it is a studio or a 1-br apartment, whether it is near work or not, the cost of food, childcare, and transportation.

Here are some estimates for you:

RMB 4330 per month. This will only include when you have made a monthly payment of rent.For a university student, the range of educational expenses would be between RMB700 and RMB 2350 per month. For a family of four, monthly educational expenses would have a range of RMB16,000 to RMB42,000.

A flat in the city center can be rented for around RMB 5 700 per month. An apartment measuring 38 square meters will cost you around RMB 5 500 per month.

A 2 bedroomed apartment in JingAn District could be available for rent for between RMB 15 000 to RMB 23 000.

A large meal for two, such as a meal for two people that would total RMB 200, would be roughly RMB 200.

The first month you live in China, you will pay between five hundred and one thousand yuan ($80 and $1,400) in transportation fees. Many people in Wuhan do not have bus passes so they (are required to) pay RMB 2 per ride.

If you are in need of a student dorm, you should spend between five and ten thousand RMB Yuan.

Internet costs around RMB 150.

A small apartment would cost around RMB 4930 (most likely not in the city center). A medium apartment in Shanghai costs about RMB 8000. A large apartment costs about RMB 10 000.

The total amount you might spend each month on your mobile phone service could be as high as RMB 170, but on an average, you will be spending RMB 12 for water each month.They usually offer 5G data, 40 GB data to use per month and 800 minutes to call per month. After a year, your bill goes up to $7.22 per month.$250-$400 (depending on the provider) for the average Internet connection.

According to the government, groceries can cost you between RMB300 and RMB 800 per month. This amount will vary depending on how many times per month you cook.

These are just some of the average numbers and estimations. The exact numbers vary from individual to individual. You should try to estimate the exact costs yourself.

If you are a traveler by nature, and would like to make sure that you are not missing out on what could be a fun, yet costly, experience, here are some costs to consider:

There are many quiet trains and some incredibly noisy trains that run through China's major cities.

They are often jam packed during rush hour. If you need to make a purchase, you would be required to pay a price in the range of 50 to 400 yuan

In addition to taking the bus from Shanghai to Hangzhou, there is also an option of taking the train from Shanghai to Hangzhou; and taking a bus to Ningbo. The price for the bus is around RMB 30.