Chengdu or Shanghai: which is better?
World city: head-to-head comparison
Shanghai wins on more indicators: 1 of 1 against 0.
- Climate and risks: Shanghai 0:1
All indicators weigh the same. This is a score based on data, not advice on where to live: different people have different circumstances.
Chengdu
Indicator
Shanghai
Population
no winnerCity population
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
7,415,590 people
GeoNames snapshot (all-the-cities 3.1.0 package, 2022), exact date not stated
22,315,474 people
GeoNames snapshot (all-the-cities 3.1.0 package, 2022), exact date not stated
Urban centre population
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
5,609,627 people
2025
30,678,616 people
2025
Urban centre area
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
867 km²
2025
3,128 km²
2025
Urban centre density
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
6,470 people per km²
2025
9,808 people per km²
2025
Urban centre population growth, 2015–2025
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
-16.3 %
2015–2025
27.2 %
2015–2025
Climate and risks
Better: Shanghai (0 : 1)Daylight on December 21
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
10.2 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
10.1 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
Daylight on June 21
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
14.1 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
14.2 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
Distance to the sea
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
1,057 km
2006-2025
19 km
2006-2025
Earthquakes M4.5+ within 100 km
lower is better
✗9.30 per year
2006-2025
✓0.00 per year
2006-2025
Strongest earthquake in the period
no data for one of the places
7.9 magnitude
2006-2025
no data
A winner is named only for indicators with a known “better / worse” direction. Population and other neutral indicators are shown without a winner. Outdated and missing values are not counted. Details for each place: Chengdu, Shanghai.