Cost of Living · CN vs US
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇺🇸 New York: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $2,410 in United States — 138.31% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United States
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 31.94%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 32.67%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 32.69%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +169.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +169.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +169.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | United States | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,750 | +169.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $1,400 | +169.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $3,200 | +169.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $18.00 | +117.65% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $75.00 | +117.71% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $11.00 | +102.95% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $1.10 | +77.42% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $3.20 | +75.82% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $3.40 | +76.17% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $10.00 | +76.06% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $4.00 | +76.21% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $4.80 | +75.82% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $12.00 | +76.21% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $2.00 | +75.44% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $6.00 | +117.39% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $8.00 | +32.67% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $5.00 | +117.39% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $2.30 | +75.57% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $65.00 | +102.81% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $2.75 | +102.21% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $4.00 | +117.39% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.80 | +116.87% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.95 | +31.94% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $200 | +102.84% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $70.00 | +102.84% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $45.00 | +102.79% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $50.00 | +117.68% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $14.00 | +117.73% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $30.00 | +117.71% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $55.00 | +32.69% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $90.00 | +32.7% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $250 | +117.71% |
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 United States than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,410 in United States versus $1,011 in China — 138.31% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United States?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $6.00 in United States, versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in United States compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,750/month in United States versus $650/month in China (+169.16%). 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.