ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Shanghai and Los Angeles 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 | Los Angeles | Shanghai vs Los Angeles |
|---|
| 💰 Average monthly net salary | ¥11,735 | ¥30,236 | Los Angeles earns 2.6× the salary in Shanghai |
Daily expenses
| Metric | Shanghai | Los Angeles | Shanghai vs Los Angeles |
|---|
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | ¥30 | ¥169 | Los Angeles costs 5.63× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | ¥200 | ¥810 | Los Angeles costs 4.05× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent) | ¥35 | ¥88 | Los Angeles costs 2.51× the price in Shanghai |
| 💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly) | ¥429.8 | ¥1,872.9 | Los Angeles costs 4.36× the price in Shanghai |
| 💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly) | ¥76.5 | ¥555.6 | Los Angeles costs 7.27× the price in Shanghai |
| 📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly) | ¥52.7 | ¥508.0 | Los Angeles costs 9.65× the price in Shanghai |
| 💪 Gym membership (monthly) | ¥462.0 | ¥426.0 | Shanghai costs 1.08× the price in Los Angeles |
| 🎬 Cinema ticket, international release | ¥60.0 | ¥121.5 | Los Angeles costs 2.03× the price in Shanghai |
| ⛽ Petrol (1 litre) | ¥8.6 | ¥9.9 | Los Angeles costs 1.15× the price in Shanghai |
Supermarket prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Los Angeles | Shanghai vs Los Angeles |
|---|
| 🥩 Beef round (1 kg) | ¥88.8 | ¥133.5 | Los Angeles costs 1.50× the price in Shanghai |
| 🥚 Eggs (12) | ¥12.3 | ¥37.7 | Los Angeles costs 3.06× the price in Shanghai |
| 🥛 Milk (1 litre) | ¥13.6 | ¥9.1 | Shanghai costs 1.49× the price in Los Angeles |
| 🍞 Bread (500 g) | ¥13.0 | ¥33.0 | Los Angeles costs 2.53× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍏 Apples (1 kg) | ¥15.5 | ¥37.2 | Los Angeles costs 2.40× the price in Shanghai |
| 🥔 Potatoes (1 kg) | ¥5.6 | ¥22.4 | Los Angeles costs 4.03× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg) | ¥12.0 | ¥37.1 | Los Angeles costs 3.10× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml) | ¥6.1 | ¥20.7 | Los Angeles costs 3.41× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle | ¥77.5 | ¥101.3 | Los Angeles costs 1.31× the price in Shanghai |
Rent & property prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Los Angeles | Shanghai vs Los Angeles |
|---|
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥6,371 | ¥17,866 | Los Angeles costs 2.80× the price in Shanghai |
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥3,832 | ¥16,055 | Los Angeles costs 4.19× the price in Shanghai |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥16,000 | ¥35,122 | Los Angeles costs 2.20× the price in Shanghai |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥8,594 | ¥27,370 | Los Angeles costs 3.18× the price in Shanghai |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre | ¥93,933 | ¥49,368 | Shanghai costs 1.90× the price in Los Angeles |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre | ¥44,760 | ¥47,082 | Los Angeles costs 1.05× the price in Shanghai |
Chinese
USA
Cananda
Australia
Japan
Singapore
Germany
France
More