My cost of living in Shanghai is now the lowest it’s been since I moved to this city two years ago. This is after quitting smoking and drinking, and moving into a 70m2 apartment in downtown with two chicks. Here’s a breakdown of my expense, with 1 U.S. Dollar being 6.83 Renminbi.
Rent: 1000 RMB/mo ($146/mo)
Utilities: ~300 RMB/mo (~$44/mo)
Ayi: 100 RMB/mo ($15/mo)
These are after splitting three ways. Normally I don’t like living with others but this really saves a lot of money. And both girls have good hygiene so I don’t mind. When I see piss on the rim of the toilet, I know it’s my own. I also like how the rooms smell nice. Not sure how we spend so much on utilities though.
Dinner: ~1100 RMB/mo (~$161/mo)
That’s an average of about 37 RMB per night for dinner, usually for two. No surprise, Chinese food in China is cheap. And in downtown Shanghai there are websites (in Chinese) where you can order from a huge list of local restaurants. No need for Sherpa’s, unless you’re a white guy without a Chinese girlfriend.
Lunch and snacks: ~500 RMB/mo (~$73/mo)
I’m a loner and usually have a simple lunch by myself. This ranges from 8 RMB for eight dumpling-like things to 30 RMB for a Subway’s sandwich of the day, foot-long. Once in a while I’ll have a sandwich from Pier 39, which is literally next door to where I work (for now), but nowadays I consider spending 45 RMB on a meal for one extravagant.
Commute: ~260 RMB/mo ($38/mo)
That’s for taking the metro everyday, and occasionally taking taxi. I’d actually get to work faster if I ride my bike or even walk the whole way but that’s too much leg exercise. I need to work on my belly, not my legs.
Well that’s about it for what I consider my “living expense.” Adding clothes and mobile phone service, and excluding miscellaneous spending like web hosting bills and flight tickets, the total’s about 3000 RMB or $439 each month. This works for me, and I imagine it would work for anyone who’s not married, isn’t a snob about food and shelter, and practices the Chinese art of Zhái. A great thing about Shanghai is you can be frugal and live a very comfortable life at the same time.
A couple links you might find useful:
- Shanghai cost of living — My post from October 2008, back when I lived in the boondocks, thought 100 RMB open bar was a good deal, and pretended to be social. Nowadays I have better things to do than see my friends.
- Living Cost in Shanghai (2007) — Wangjianshuo’s post, which says for the amount I’m paying for rent my place “must be a pretty old one, with smell, and dirt.” I’m sure he meant “must have character, aroma, and soil of the people.”
When i see there’s piss on the floor, i know it’s not mine. it’s my dog’s…
the utility is huge! even with swiss standards… and consider you don’t even cook while we cook every meal, and drink tab water.
You should now take all your food out of the fridge, put them on the balcony, n stop the fridge.
Don’t shower everyday, or shower with the chicks together, so when you are applying the shampoo, you don’t need the running water, you can let the chicks rinse their hair.
gg on quitting smoking and drinking. but yeah whats up with the huge utilities bill…
Nice break down of your expenses, interesting. I like how you eat all the cheap food you want…not like the $5 starbucks here.
I think I got that utilities bill wrong but wutev.
Starbucks is $5 here too. I drink Coke when I want caffeine, which is less than $0.50 for a can here.
Hi,firstly,in once every year,certain percentages deduct from my wages to the government. Secondly,in every month,certain percentages extract from my wages to my pension account, and my employer contributes certain percentages to my pension account.
Are these employment rules the same for a foreigner works in China ? Please advice. Thanks.
So, if I am headed over to Shanghai next year with a monthly pay packet (including living allowance) of 14,600 RMB — is that a reasonable amount of money to live on?
That’ll be way enough if there’s no prostitution or illegal drug use involved with your trip.
@R Lee — No idea, sorry.
@Chris — Depends on your lifestyle and obligations but I think most people can live comfortably in Shanghai on that salary, at least for a couple years.
hi,
i’m thinking to go to shanghai for student exchange and i would be working in one very good company for 6 months. my employer would pay for the apartment and i would get 2000CNY salary. do you think that would be enough for some normal life (food, public transportation, going out)?
tnx a lot!!!
I think you may need to scrimp a bit. If you’re fine with eating local food (as opposed to going to restaurants that cater to foreigners) and using the metro, you should be fine.
tnx for your answer!
well, i don’t have anything against metro, i’m just worried i won’t be really happy with eating chinese food for 6 months.:S
what do you think about prices in food stores? i don’t mind cooking although i’m not sure if i’ll be able to find western food in there…
I don’t really know about cost of cooking, or cooking in general, but I’m sure you can make do with what’s available in most grocery stores. There are also supermarkets that specialize in foreign foods but they tend to be expensive. Superstores like Carrefour or WalMart should have a good selection but they’re more at the edges of downtown and in the suburbs, so you might not live close to one. But still, it’s not like you’ll find only frog meat or other exotic foods in the local supermarkets here. There’re still pasta and stuff, just much smaller selections. There are also McDonald’s and KFCs everywhere. :P
really need some help here -
wife is being courted for position in shanghai(we live in LA right now) and we are clueless as to how much to ask for.
things to consider:
loss of MY my income (approx 80,000 usd per year)
my wife’s current salary (approx 150,000 per year)
2 children who will need to go to private schools
any help in giving any idea of where to start would be greatly appreciated!!
@stsoutine — I think you should ask the folks at ShanghaiExpat.com. They should be able to help.
thx d.kwan!
Hi D.Kwan,
You got some great advices about the living standards in Shanghai. I hope you can help me out. Would you happen to know the average salary for Intermediate position for hotel establisment in Shanghai? If I was offered $8,000 RMB per month with no living accommodations, would I be able to secure a standard room (no sharing) and be able to enjoy a decent lifestyle? My lifestyle is being able to dine out occasionally, hang out with friends, explore the city, travel to different areas during time off and visit bar few times a month.
If the amount is not sufficient, what amount do you think would work? Thank you for your help in advance!
Hi was hoping someone could shed some light on a few questions? We ( husband and I and 2 school going kids) were thinking of relocating to Shanghai.
What is the price of international schools?
What is the cost of rent, living in a gated community?
General living costs?
Buying a car, or would it be advisable to hire one?
Many thanks inadvance.
@Hui — Not sure why I replied by email but I’ll post here too:
I don’t really know anything about the hotel industry. On 8000 RMB/mo I think you’ll need to scrimp a little, but I don’t think it’s that bad. A lot would depend on how much you pay for rent, and what kinds of places you go to when you go out. A typical meal outside at a clean restaurant is roughly 25 RMB, but for a “western” or slightly higher end restaurant it’s generally around 60–150 RMB. A beer (from a bar or club) is anywhere from 10 to 60 RMB. Just depends on where you go. I don’t think you’d be able to do much traveling on that salary though.
Hard to say what amount I think would work for you. I mean you can definitely get by on 8000/mo here, easily, as long as you spend your money wisely and don’t have other obligations (like car payments back home, etc).
@Cara — Since you have a family I recommend asking those questions at ShanghaiExpat.com. You should probably mention what part of Shanghai you’re thinking of moving to, or what area your workplace would be located.
Thanks for the kind info D.Kwan
Do you happen to know the average salary in Shanghai?
No idea.
Nice posting Kwan!
I’m curious about something.
I hope you don’t mind if I ask it :)
1.What is an “Ayi” stands for? Is it for maid?
2.What do you do with your laundry or dirty dishes? Do you have to wash it yourself?
3.How much is the cost for internet connection and the mobile phone service in there?
4.If I have an earning around 14,000 RMB / mo , can I live comfortably in Shanghai?
Thank you very much for the answer :)
@AtN–
1. “Ayi” is a maid in this context, yes. (But not all “ayi“s are maids!)
2. I generally wash clothes and dirty dishes myself. Most furnished apartments should have a laundry machine included. Ayi does the dishes when she’s here. (And FYI I think most ayis charge around 15–20 RMB/hr.)
3. I was paying around 150 RMB/mo for 2M (I don’t really know what that means) ADSL internet. The max download speed was around 200 KB/s. I’ve moved and I’m not sure what I’m paying currently. For my mobile phone I think I pay about 100 RMB/mo, prepaid (refill when value is low). I think I’m on the phone less than most people though.
4. If you’re frugal and don’t mind a modest apartment and don’t have a lot of bills to pay, I think you can live comfortably in Shanghai on 14,000 RMB/mo. If you go out a lot or are chasing a girl then I’m not sure. But as a general rule, I’d say 10-15K RMB/mo is fine in Shanghai for someone in his early to mid 20s. Beyond that it’s probably different for everyone.
Thank you for the answer Kwan :)
Well , I thought that “Ayi” is for the maid that do your laundry and dirty dishes , guess I was wrong then :)
My age is almost 30 and I think that earning is not sufficient enough for me and send some to my family in Indonesia :)
But I do very appreciate the glimpse of the living there from you.
Thank you very much for the answer :)
Finally, someone that is not talking about a 5000 RMB a month western apartment, I am currently living in Nanning with my wife and have a job offer to go Shanghai for 15000 – 20000 RMB. I know that I can live quite good here for that, but do not know anything about Shanghai and my wife has a low opinion of anybody north of Guangxi. I have been looking for some information on rentals and stuff in Shanghai but everybody is talking about renting 5000 RMB luxury apartments, any suggestions?
There are definitely decent apartments for less than 5000 RMB, especially if you’re willing to add 20 minutes to your commute. Check out Shanghai’s metro system. It goes everywhere, and generally the further out you go, the cheaper the rent. Personally I think up to two stops outside of Line 4 (the one that goes in a circle) is an acceptable distance from downtown. That puts the ride to anywhere in downtown at around 20–30 minutes. Add 10 minutes to walk to/from the station and your total commute each way is like 40–50 minutes, which is still better than the commute where I’m from.
If you or your wife can read Chinese, try this site for apartments.
At times i feel like jumping on the plane and just going to Shanghai. Im Filipino/Korean and have no idea how to speak the Mandarin language. What recommendations can you provide. I will only have like 1000.00 usd for one week of stay and just want to look around and be frugal but at the same time enjoy the night life a little and talk to some chinese people who speak english. Where can i stay that is safe and cheap for 5 nights. What club scene can i check out? Any info is nice. Just wanted to get on to craigslist and do some forum chats but i thought i get your advice first.
I think all of Shanghai is generally pretty safe. Just take the same precautions you would anywhere that’s crowded, like keeping your wallet hard to reach.
As for what places to stay at, there are motels all over the place. Motel 168 and Jinjiang Inn are not bad. I think most motels are around 250 RMB/night. Don’t know about the hostels here.
Chinese people who speak English… For younger crowds try Shanghai Stuff. (Look in the Groups section. Avoid the Forums.) Might also want to check out EnjoyShanghai’s classifieds.
SmartShanghai has a good article on nightlight here.
Thanks for the cost breakdown, D.Kwan.
I tutored English in HK and had a blast, and am considering doing it as a career. Starting in Shanghai seems like a good way for someone like me with no real teaching experience.
My question is — have you met any of these expats who go teach English there? Have you heard any comments on them about whether they like and/or would like to do it as a career?
More of a stretch but — I’ve seen jobs that start you at 10-14k per month and include airfare, housing and 50% paid health insurance. Any idea if I could get a better deal by flying over there myself and looking for jobs? Also — with 10k per month, could I live in a decent 1BR apartment, spend about what you do on food, and go out to clubs every weekend?
Thanks!
@James — I know a few people who are or used to be English teachers in Shanghai, but I don’t think any of them intend on doing it as a career. I do know that it’s not difficult to get a job as an English teacher if you’re white (and “not difficult” might be an understatement), but I have no idea how it’s like as a career.
I’m also not sure how much English teachers get paid, except for one person who gets around 15K/mo working full-time, but has lots of free time during “office hours”. I think that’s pretty common but I’ve never really looked into it.
As for whether you can go to clubs every weekend on 10K, it really just depends on what your spending habit is like when you go out. I mean it’s really easy to burn threw a few hundred RMBs in one night, so in a month that could be 4000+. But the cost of drinks vary a lot too. E.g., a beer is anywhere from 15 to 60+ RMB, a cocktail is 30 to 150+ RMB, same goes for meals.
I think a decent 1BR apartment would be 4000 RMB/mo at most and you can definitely find cheaper. So 10K/mo is definitely livable but I’d still recommend keeping track of where your money’s going.
I’m so glad to found this page! So much of info and thanks Kwan for all the explanations. I’ve some questions here and hopefully you can help! :)
I recently got an offer from a production house, compare to what i got here in my country, the salary is much lower, but I’m looking at career opportunity here. It will be a great experience for me to work with Shanghai production crew and definitely helps when I’m back to my country.
I’ve been offered RMB4000 — however I’m provided with food, accommodation, flight tickets & validation.
Well, I don’t go to clubs or travel much as my work is gonna used up 70% of my day and the rest would be my sleep time I guess. But I think once in a while I would pamper myself with Starbucks or some good food, magazines maybe and Internet connection for me is a must.
So I’m just wondering if I can still survives at Shanghai with RMB4000 with the conditions above?
Hi Nana. If food, accommodation, and flight are all covered, I think you can live fairly comfortably on 4000 RMB/mo in Shanghai.
Thanks a lot for your blog! Helped me =)