Earn Here, Spend ThereWhat is this money worth over there?
KOOpen app
Journey will show you around
City pricesDaily travel budget & monthly costPrice mapTap a city, see it in your moneyTrip budgetPlan a multi-city trip budgetTravel difficultyEasiest & hardest cities to travelCompareTwo cities side by sideBlogTravel money stories & rankingsCurrencyQuick conversion tablesExpense trackerLog trip costs from a receiptPopular cities
Compare cities โบ Guangzhou vs Shanghai
Guangzhou vs Shanghai cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou
๐จ๐ณ ShanghaiGuangzhou is 36% cheaper than Shanghai
Living on $1,474 a month in Guangzhou feels like about $2,712 in Shanghai โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Guangzhou 14tie 3Shanghai 3
One day's budget in Shanghai ($118) lasts 1.3 days in Guangzhou
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$90.9 vs $118
Per month
$1,474 vs $2,712
Local meal
ยฅ 30 vs ยฅ 35
$4.23 vs $4.93
Taxi 5 km
ยฅ 18 vs ยฅ 20
$2.54 vs $2.82
At a glance
FoodGuangzhou 20% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksGuangzhou 31% cheaper
TransportGuangzhou 10% cheaper
StayGuangzhou 48% cheaper
FunGuangzhou 7% cheaper
- Where Shanghai is clearly cheaper: Half-day tour (17%โ)
- Where Guangzhou is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (58%โ), Beer (50%โ), Massage (35%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Guangzhou to see what gives the same standard of living in Shanghai. Starts at the average Guangzhou salary.
Travel difficulty
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Overall
Moderate2.4
Moderate2.4
Rip-offs & haggling
2
2
Language
4
4
Getting around
1
1
Payments
3
3
Safety
2
2
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Guangzhou | Shanghai | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ยฅ 30$4.23 | ยฅ 35$4.93 | Guangzhou โ14% |
| Street food1 item | ยฅ 10$1.41 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | Guangzhou โ33% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ยฅ 100$14.1 | ยฅ 110$15.5 | Guangzhou โ9% |
| Coffeeone cup | ยฅ 25$3.52 | ยฅ 28$3.94 | Guangzhou โ11% |
| Beerone bottle | ยฅ 15$2.11 | ยฅ 30$4.23 | Guangzhou โ50% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ยฅ 70$9.86 | ยฅ 85$12 | Guangzhou โ18% |
| Bottled water | ยฅ 2$0.28 | ยฅ 3$0.42 | Guangzhou โ33% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ยฅ 4$0.56 | ยฅ 5$0.7 | Guangzhou โ20% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ยฅ 18$2.54 | ยฅ 20$2.82 | Guangzhou โ10% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ยฅ 13$1.83 | ยฅ 16$2.25 | Guangzhou โ19% |
| Transitone ride | ยฅ 4$0.56 | ยฅ 4$0.56 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | ยฅ 15$2.11 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | ยฅ 350$49.3 | ยฅ 500$70.4 | Guangzhou โ30% |
| Studio rent (month) | ยฅ 2,500$352 | ยฅ 6,000$845 | Guangzhou โ58% |
| Laundry | ยฅ 15$2.11 | ยฅ 14$1.97 | Shanghai โ7% |
| SIM card1 week data | ยฅ 80$11.3 | ยฅ 100$14.1 | Guangzhou โ20% |
| Haircutcut | ยฅ 60$8.45 | ยฅ 60$8.45 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | ยฅ 130$18.3 | ยฅ 200$28.2 | Guangzhou โ35% |
| Half-day tourper person | ยฅ 300$42.3 | ยฅ 250$35.2 | Shanghai โ17% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ยฅ 140$19.7 | ยฅ 120$16.9 | Shanghai โ14% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
Open free โบ
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Guangzhou or Shanghai?
Guangzhou is 36% cheaper than Shanghai. Daily budget $90.9 vs $118; a month $1,474 vs $2,712.
Which is easier to travel, Guangzhou or Shanghai?
About the same: Guangzhou 2.4/5, Shanghai 2.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Guangzhou and Shanghai?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Guangzhou is about $1,474 and Shanghai about $2,712 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.
Related comparisons
๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou vs ๐ป๐ณ Hanoi๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou vs ๐น๐ญ Hua Hin๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou vs ๐น๐ญ Pattaya๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou vs ๐จ๐ณ Qingdao๐จ๐ณ Chongqing vs ๐จ๐ณ Shanghai๐จ๐ณ Chengdu vs ๐จ๐ณ Guangzhou๐จ๐ณ Chengdu vs ๐จ๐ณ Shanghai