Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuzhou and Midrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,085 in Midrand, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
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Fuzhou Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Midrand
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Midrand Living Index

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Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Midrand

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fuzhou and in Midrand

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,085 in Midrand.

Fuzhou $762
Midrand $1,085

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,227 in Fuzhou versus $1,611 in Midrand.

Fuzhou $1,227
Midrand $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,692 in Fuzhou versus $2,138 in Midrand.

Fuzhou $1,692
Midrand $2,138

Living in Fuzhou costs roughly 30% less than in Midrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fuzhou 44% lower, Midrand 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$5.84 R 96.2

-47.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 ¥154

$29.52 R 486

-21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$2.96 R 48.74

71.62%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.74

$1.83 R 30.09

36.61%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.21 R 19.94

-61.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.86 R 14.16

-68.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$2.21 R 36.44

-61.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$2.36 R 38.89

-26.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ¥13.81

$1.28 R 21.12

60.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.16 R 19.10

21.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.29 R 21.27

-27.91%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.39

$2.71 R 44.72

-42.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 ¥51.1

$8.41 R 139

-9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ¥14.58

$5.53 R 91.2

-60.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥60.0

$8.75 R 144

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$2.02 R 33.32

-10.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.10 R 18.14

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.77 R 29.21

-5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$1.53 R 25.24

-30.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.63

$1.70 R 27.94

-50.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.79 R 29.52

-43.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$1.23 R 20.22

-64.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.49

$1.26 R 20.77

-58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ¥20.13

$3.24 R 53.4

-7.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 ¥73.5

$5.34 R 87.9

105.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.81

$0.89 R 14.73

-19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.17 R 19.34

4.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.52 R 25.03

-80.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 ¥158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$0.87 R 14.39

74.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.58 R 9.57

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$14.32 R 236

-49.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$1.38 R 22.67

-9.42%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$33.5K R 552.3K

-42.14%

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

$15.6K ¥104.1K

$30.0K R 493.5K

-48.03%

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

$43.17 ¥289

$105 R 1,738

-59.08%

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

$8.53 ¥57.1

$23.81 R 392

-64.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.94 ¥59.8

$36.03 R 594

-75.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 ¥283

$31.53 R 519

34.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$10.92 R 180

35.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.31

$7.63 R 126

-3.28%

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

$209 ¥1,395

$179 R 2,955

16.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥81.0K

$5,551 R 91.5K

118.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.90 ¥267

$56.5 R 931

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.42 ¥197

$46.37 R 764

-36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 ¥605

$85.1 R 1,402

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$82.8 R 1,364

5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥3,060

$472 R 7,775

-3.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 ¥1,672

$442 R 7,282

-43.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 ¥6,939

$834 R 13.7K

24.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ¥3,438

$739 R 12.2K

-30.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 ¥30.2K

$886 R 14.6K

409.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,346 ¥15.7K

$655 R 10.8K

257.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ¥6,728

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

10.91

-68.29%

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

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Midrand: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fuzhou

$250 32.8%

Midrand

$442 40.8% 76.8% $192

Groceries & Markets

Fuzhou

$175 23%

Midrand

$197 18.2% 12.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Fuzhou

$111 14.6%

Midrand

$122 11.2% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Fuzhou

$80 10.6%

Midrand

$102 9.4% 26.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuzhou

$61 8%

Midrand

$165 15.2% 173% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Fuzhou

$57 7.5%

Midrand

$47 4.3% 18% $10

Getting Around

Fuzhou

$28 3.6%

Midrand

$9.9 * 0.9% 64.5% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Fuzhou and $472 in Midrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Fuzhou vs $30.00 in Midrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $197 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🇿🇦 Midrand

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

6 h behind Fuzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,291,268

87,387

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fuzhou Midrand 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Fuzhou
Midrand

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

Fuzhou vs Midrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Midrand. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,143 in Fuzhou and $1,627 in Midrand to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Fuzhou versus $472 in Midrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Midrand. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $762 per month in Fuzhou versus $1,085 in Midrand – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,085 in Midrand, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Midrand. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Midrand. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.