Cost of living comparison

 India
compared to
 Shanghai, China
Shanghai vs. India Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 4.9 times more expensive than India overall.

Restaurants
pay 58.6% more in Shanghai
Groceries
pay 2.5 times more in Shanghai
Transportation
pay 95.6% more in Shanghai
Housing
pay 4.2 times more in Shanghai
Childcare
pay 20.0 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more in Shanghai
Clothing
pay 2.3 times more in Shanghai

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

Shanghai vs. India Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of India, you would:

pay 58.6% more for restaurants

 
India
Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.40
₹206.35
$4.17
CN¥30.44
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.90
₹335.53
$5.50
CN¥40.11
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.40
₹34.06
$0.51
CN¥3.75

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pay 2.5 times more for groceries

 
India
Shanghai
Bread
1 loaf
$0.46
₹39.60
$2.01
CN¥14.62
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.54
₹218.25
$7.94
CN¥57.90
Milk (1 gallon) $2.56
₹220.06
$8.61
CN¥62.76

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pay 95.6% more for transportation

 
India
Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.62
₹396.90
$4.40
CN¥32.07
Monthly public transit pass $10.12
₹870.37
$34.79
CN¥253.67
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $13,525.56
₹1,162,835.43
$20,844.35
CN¥152,001.16

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pay 4.2 times more for housing

 
India
Shanghai
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$7.39
₹634.93
$16.44
CN¥119.91
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $138.05
₹11,868.89
$1,017.22
CN¥7,417.76
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $90.33
₹7,766.14
$526.38
CN¥3,838.44

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pay 20.0 times more for childcare

 
India
Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $55.73
₹4,791.17
$1,147.00
CN¥8,364.18
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $1,565.54
₹134,594.41
$30,296.28
CN¥220,926.56

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

 
India
Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.84
₹157.85
$1.39
CN¥10.15
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.59
₹136.39
$3.53
CN¥25.72
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.59
₹308.68
$3.48
CN¥25.37

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pay 2.3 times more for clothing

 
India
Shanghai
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.02
₹2,065.34
$59.36
CN¥432.88
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$25.36
₹2,180.50
$38.88
CN¥283.50
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$41.62
₹3,577.95
$77.91
CN¥568.16

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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