Cost of Living · CN vs DE
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇩🇪 Berlin: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,714 in Germany — 69.45% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Germany
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 18.06%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 18.74%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 18.84%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +82.96%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +82.96%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +82.96%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Germany | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,190 (1,099 EUR) | +82.96% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $952 (879 EUR) | +82.96% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $2,175 (2,010 EUR) | +82.96% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $13.29 (12 EUR) | +60.7% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $55.38 (51 EUR) | +60.75% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $8.35 (8 EUR) | +54.06% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.88 (1 EUR) | +41.94% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.57 (2 EUR) | +41.21% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.73 (3 EUR) | +41.45% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $8.02 (7 EUR) | +41.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +41.41% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.85 (4 EUR) | +41.03% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $9.62 (9 EUR) | +41.26% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | +40.35% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $4.43 (4 EUR) | +60.51% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $7.16 (7 EUR) | +18.74% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.69 (3 EUR) | +60.43% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.84 (2 EUR) | +40.46% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $49.34 (46 EUR) | +53.95% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $2.09 (2 EUR) | +53.68% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.95 (3 EUR) | +60.33% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.33 (1 EUR) | +60.24% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.85 (1 EUR) | +18.06% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $152 (140 EUR) | +53.96% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $53.13 (49 EUR) | +53.96% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $34.16 (32 EUR) | +53.94% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $36.92 (34 EUR) | +60.73% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $10.34 (10 EUR) | +60.81% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $22.15 (20 EUR) | +60.74% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $49.26 (46 EUR) | +18.84% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $80.60 (74 EUR) | +18.84% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $185 (171 EUR) | +60.75% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Germany than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,714 in Germany versus $1,011 in China — 69.45% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Germany?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.43 in Germany (≈ 4.09 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Germany compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,190/month in Germany versus $650/month in China (+82.96%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.