China, Shanghai

Country Full Name: People's Republic of China.

Location: China is in Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam.

Country Climate: Extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north.

Country Terrain: Mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east.

Major Languages: Mandarin Chinese.

Major Religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism.

Population: 1327.7 million (2008 est.) 1334.3 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the People's Republic of China is a rapidly developing and influential market economy. China is the one of the worlds largest economies. China has had the fastest-growing major economy for the past 30 years with an average annual GDP growth rate above 10%. China's per capita income has likewise grown at an average annual rate of more than 8% over the last three decades drastically reducing poverty.

Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY).

Inflation: 6.1% (2011 est.).

City: Shanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level status.

City Economy: Shanghai is often regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China. Shanghai also hosts the largest share market in mainland China.

The cost of living in Shanghai in China is very high compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Shanghai in China is currently ranked 19 overall out of 950 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 950 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are high compared to other places for items such as alcoholic beverages, alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine (where alcohol is legally sold) as well as for tobacco products such as cigarettes. There are 205 places that are more expensive, and 744 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very high compared to other places for items such as clothing and footwear products, business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear. There are 130 places that are more expensive, and 819 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract, data, and calls. There are 52 places that are more expensive, and 897 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees. There are 659 places that are more expensive, and 290 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are high compared to other places for items such as furniture, household equipment and appliances, DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine. There are 319 places that are more expensive, and 630 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very high compared to other places for items such as food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs . There are 108 places that are more expensive, and 841 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very high compared to other places for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance, general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions. There are 21 places that are more expensive, and 928 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes, mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies. There are 6 places that are more expensive, and 943 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are high compared to other places for items such as stationery, linen, general goods and services, domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps. There are 281 places that are more expensive, and 668 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are high compared to other places for items such as personal care products and services, cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner. There are 307 places that are more expensive, and 642 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera film, cinema tickets, DVDs and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets. There are 559 places that are more expensive, and 390 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food). There are 714 places that are more expensive, and 235 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are high compared to other places for items such as public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance, hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase. There are 253 places that are more expensive, and 696 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Shanghai in China are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Shanghai in China is ranked as high degree of hardship with a hardship index of 30%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Shanghai in China are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is at at 1 January 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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