ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Shanghai and Nairobi 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 | Nairobi | Shanghai vs Nairobi |
| 💰 Average monthly net salary | ¥11,735 | ¥3,147 | Shanghai earns 3.7× the salary in Nairobi |
Daily expenses
| Metric | Shanghai | Nairobi | Shanghai vs Nairobi |
|---|
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | ¥30 | ¥37 | Nairobi costs 1.22× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | ¥200 | ¥235 | Nairobi costs 1.17× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent) | ¥35 | ¥42 | Nairobi costs 1.19× the price in Shanghai |
| 💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly) | ¥429.8 | ¥379.4 | Shanghai costs 1.13× the price in Nairobi |
| 💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly) | ¥76.5 | ¥232.9 | Nairobi costs 3.05× the price in Shanghai |
| 📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly) | ¥52.7 | ¥107.6 | Nairobi costs 2.04× the price in Shanghai |
| 💪 Gym membership (monthly) | ¥462.0 | ¥330.4 | Shanghai costs 1.40× the price in Nairobi |
| 🎬 Cinema ticket, international release | ¥60.0 | ¥52.2 | Shanghai costs 1.15× the price in Nairobi |
| ⛽ Petrol (1 litre) | ¥8.6 | ¥10.3 | Nairobi costs 1.20× the price in Shanghai |
Supermarket prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Nairobi | Shanghai vs Nairobi |
|---|
| 🥩 Beef round (1 kg) | ¥88.8 | ¥42.0 | Shanghai costs 2.12× the price in Nairobi |
| 🥚 Eggs (12) | ¥12.3 | ¥11.3 | Shanghai costs 1.09× the price in Nairobi |
| 🥛 Milk (1 litre) | ¥13.6 | ¥5.8 | Shanghai costs 2.34× the price in Nairobi |
| 🍞 Bread (500 g) | ¥13.0 | ¥3.7 | Shanghai costs 3.48× the price in Nairobi |
| 🍏 Apples (1 kg) | ¥15.5 | ¥21.5 | Nairobi costs 1.39× the price in Shanghai |
| 🥔 Potatoes (1 kg) | ¥5.6 | ¥6.9 | Nairobi costs 1.24× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg) | ¥12.0 | ¥6.7 | Shanghai costs 1.78× the price in Nairobi |
| 🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml) | ¥6.1 | ¥15.3 | Nairobi costs 2.52× the price in Shanghai |
| 🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle | ¥77.5 | ¥78.3 | Nairobi costs 1.01× the price in Shanghai |
Rent & property prices
| Metric | Shanghai | Nairobi | Shanghai vs Nairobi |
|---|
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥6,371 | ¥2,739 | Shanghai costs 2.33× the price in Nairobi |
| 🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥3,832 | ¥1,444 | Shanghai costs 2.65× the price in Nairobi |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly) | ¥16,000 | ¥7,826 | Shanghai costs 2.04× the price in Nairobi |
| 🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly) | ¥8,594 | ¥3,509 | Shanghai costs 2.45× the price in Nairobi |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre | ¥93,933 | ¥9,697 | Shanghai costs 9.69× the price in Nairobi |
| 🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre | ¥44,760 | ¥6,077 | Shanghai costs 7.36× the price in Nairobi |