Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $616 a month against $749 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Mogadishu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chengdu and in Mogadishu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $749 per month in Chengdu vs $616 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Chengdu $749
Mogadishu $616

A couple spends around $1,210 per month in Chengdu vs $949 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Chengdu $1,210
Mogadishu $949

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Chengdu vs $1,282 in Mogadishu, rent included.

Chengdu $1,672
Mogadishu $1,282

Chengdu costs about 22% more than Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chengdu and Mogadishu are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Mogadishu 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$2.96 SOS 1,681

-3.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

-34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.28

$4.53 SOS 2,573

6.62%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.99

$2.03 SOS 1,155

47.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.20 SOS 680

-60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.53 SOS 303

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.27 SOS 720

42.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$1.58 SOS 897

-2.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.79 SOS 449

17.72%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.37

$1.95 SOS 1,107

-20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.37 ¥96.1

$5.13 SOS 2,913

180.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥24.05

$3.85 SOS 2,189

-6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ¥74.5

$4.55 SOS 2,585

144.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$3.82 SOS 2,169

-52.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$0.98 SOS 555

36.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$3.04 SOS 1,727

-64.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.98

$1.31 SOS 745

-9.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$1.54 SOS 876

-51.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.52

$1.76 SOS 1,000

-61.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$1.52 SOS 861

-58.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.58

$0.53 SOS 303

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.22

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ¥29.41

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$2.04 SOS 1,156

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.08

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.52 SOS 298

-26.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 ¥164

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$1.02 SOS 577

34.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.57 SOS 325

-45.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 ¥30.71

$3.07 SOS 1,744

49.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.85 SOS 485

54.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.7K ¥131.5K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

178.35%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$48.01 ¥321

$161 SOS 91.6K

-70.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.42 ¥63.0

$4.89 SOS 2,778

92.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

-80.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 ¥183

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

-13.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.25 ¥75.2

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.26

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,494

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

382.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥98.3K

$771 SOS 438.1K

1805.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.03 ¥167

$14.11 SOS 8,013

77.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.15 ¥188

$13.82 SOS 7,848

103.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 ¥374

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

125.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.3 ¥343

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

56.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 ¥3,109

$198 SOS 112.6K

134.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥1,712

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

234.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 ¥5,570

$470 SOS 267.0K

77.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥3,606

$190 SOS 107.8K

184.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 ¥25.1K

$3,145 SOS 1.8M

19.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$2,428 SOS 1.4M

-21.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,254 ¥8,382

$280 SOS 159.2K

347.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$256 34.2%

Mogadishu

$77 12.4% 70.1% $179

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$194 25.9%

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3% 16.3% $32

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.8%

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1% 22.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$72 9.6%

Mogadishu

$38 6.3% 46.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$70 9.4%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 231% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.2%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1% 19.4% $7.6

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Mogadishu

$6 * 1% 79.4% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Chengdu versus $198 in Mogadishu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 347% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Chengdu versus $35.00 in Mogadishu. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Chengdu vs $162 in Mogadishu – so Mogadishu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

5 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Mogadishu 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Mogadishu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chengdu vs Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Chengdu, $616 in Mogadishu – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,123 per month in Chengdu and $924 in Mogadishu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mogadishu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Chengdu and $35.00 in Mogadishu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chengdu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $749 in Chengdu and $616 in Mogadishu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mogadishu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mogadishu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.