ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Shanghai and Johannesburg are averages compiled from millions of user-contributed income and living-cost entries worldwide over the last 12 months (updated July 2026), converted to Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥). Green 🟢 marks a higher income or a lower price. Source: NUMBEO, which is widely cited by international media; the Seapoe team compiled, translated and processed the data.
Income comparison
| Metric | Shanghai | Johannesburg | Shanghai vs Johannesburg |
|---|
| 💰 Average monthly net salary | ¥11,735 | ¥11,902 | Johannesburg earns 1.0× the salary in Shanghai |
Daily expenses
| Metric | Shanghai | Johannesburg | Shanghai vs Johannesburg |
|---|
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | ¥30 | ¥83 | Johannesburg costs 2.75× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | ¥200 | ¥320 | Johannesburg costs 1.60× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent) | ¥35 | ¥50 | Johannesburg costs 1.42× the price in Shanghai |
| 💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly) | ¥429.8 | ¥1,429.2 | Johannesburg costs 3.33× the price in Shanghai |
| 💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly) | ¥76.5 | ¥263.1 | Johannesburg costs 3.44× the price in Shanghai |
| 📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly) | ¥52.7 | ¥239.8 | Johannesburg costs 4.55× the price in Shanghai |
| 💪 Gym membership (monthly) | ¥462.0 | ¥270.6 | Shanghai costs 1.71× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🎬 Cinema ticket, international release | ¥60.0 | ¥53.7 | Shanghai costs 1.12× the price in Johannesburg |
| ⛽ Petrol (1 litre) | ¥8.6 | ¥10.2 | Johannesburg costs 1.19× the price in Shanghai |
Supermarket prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Johannesburg | Shanghai vs Johannesburg |
|---|
| 🥩 Beef round (1 kg) | ¥88.8 | ¥60.7 | Shanghai costs 1.46× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🥚 Eggs (12) | ¥12.3 | ¥17.1 | Johannesburg costs 1.38× the price in Shanghai |
| 🥛 Milk (1 litre) | ¥13.6 | ¥8.9 | Shanghai costs 1.53× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🍞 Bread (500 g) | ¥13.0 | ¥8.5 | Shanghai costs 1.53× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🍏 Apples (1 kg) | ¥15.5 | ¥14.1 | Shanghai costs 1.10× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🥔 Potatoes (1 kg) | ¥5.6 | ¥11.3 | Johannesburg costs 2.03× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg) | ¥12.0 | ¥13.9 | Johannesburg costs 1.16× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml) | ¥6.1 | ¥12.1 | Johannesburg costs 1.99× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle | ¥77.5 | ¥41.3 | Shanghai costs 1.88× the price in Johannesburg |
Rent & property prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Johannesburg | Shanghai vs Johannesburg |
|---|
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥6,371 | ¥3,658 | Shanghai costs 1.74× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥3,832 | ¥2,977 | Shanghai costs 1.29× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥16,000 | ¥7,149 | Shanghai costs 2.24× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥8,594 | ¥6,169 | Shanghai costs 1.39× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre | ¥93,933 | ¥6,724 | Shanghai costs 13.97× the price in Johannesburg |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre | ¥44,760 | ¥5,101 | Shanghai costs 8.78× the price in Johannesburg |
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