BROWSE SALARIES BEST PAYING JOBS
Browse Salaries
Best Paying Jobs

Average Salary in Shanghai 2026

How much money does a person working in Shanghai make?


Average Monthly Salary
31,800 CNY
( 382,000 CNY yearly)

LOW
8,020
CNY AVERAGE
31,800
CNY HIGH
142,000
CNY
All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working in Shanghai typically earns around 31,800 CNY. Salaries range from 8,020 CNY (lowest average) to 142,000 CNY (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries in Shanghai vary drastically between different careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.

Pay Scale and Salaries in Shanghai

Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.

  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries in Shanghai range from 8,020 CNY (starting salary) to 142,000 CNY (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher). This is not the minimum wage as per the law, only the lowest reported number in the salary survey that had thousands of participants and professionals from all over the country.

  • Median Salary

    The median salary is 28,800 CNY, which means that 50% of the population in Shanghai earns less than that while the other half earns more. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of the population in Shanghai earn less than 20,800 CNY while 75% of them earn more. Also from the diagram, 75% of the population earn less than 43,600 CNY while 25% earn more than that.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    We grouped the most common and recurring salaries into brackets to give more insight into what salary to expect. This method is more accurate than just the average salary and gives more insights into how salaries are actually distributed in Shanghai. Around 65% of all reported figures are in the range 19,100 CNY to 49,000 CNY. Approximately 20% fall under the 19,100 CNY cap. Ten percent of wages are from 49,000 CNY to 62,700 CNY. Only 5% of people grossed 62,700 CNY or more.