Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuzhou and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fuzhou and in Shanghai

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 Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Fuzhou $762
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,227 in Fuzhou versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Fuzhou $1,227
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,692 in Fuzhou versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Fuzhou $1,692
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Fuzhou costs roughly 39% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fuzhou 44% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$4.56 ¥30.47

-32.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 ¥154

$30.21 ¥202

-23.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$5.25 ¥35.13

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.74

$3.28 ¥21.94

-23.78%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.57 ¥3.84

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.36 ¥2.39

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$1.23 ¥8.23

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$2.27 ¥15.18

-23.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ¥13.81

$1.84 ¥12.30

11.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.96 ¥13.08

-28.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.03 ¥6.87

-9.71%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.67 ¥11.16

-7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 ¥51.1

$16.96 ¥113

-54.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ¥14.58

$3.19 ¥21.33

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥60.0

$12.90 ¥86.3

-30.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$2.24 ¥15.00

-19.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.66 ¥11.13

-20.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.02 ¥13.54

-16.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$1.66 ¥11.08

-35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.63

$0.77 ¥5.17

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$0.93 ¥6.21

8.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.63 ¥4.19

-30.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.49

$0.60 ¥3.99

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ¥20.13

$3.80 ¥25.44

-20.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 ¥73.5

$10.87 ¥72.7

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.81

$0.82 ¥5.51

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.61 ¥10.76

-24.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.61 ¥4.11

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 ¥158

$29.40 ¥197

-19.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$2.11 ¥14.11

-27.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.43 ¥2.87

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$9.06 ¥60.6

-19.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$1.33 ¥8.89

-6.02%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

1.95%

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

$15.6K ¥104.1K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-16.79%

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

$43.17 ¥289

$57.8 ¥387

-25.32%

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

$8.53 ¥57.1

$8.09 ¥54.1

5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.94 ¥59.8

$10.48 ¥70.0

-14.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 ¥283

$65.7 ¥439

-35.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$17.82 ¥119

-17.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.31

$8.95 ¥59.9

-17.54%

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

$209 ¥1,395

$1,414 ¥9,451

-85.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥81.0K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-56.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.90 ¥267

$54.0 ¥361

-26.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.42 ¥197

$37.09 ¥248

-20.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 ¥605

$74.3 ¥496

21.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$106 ¥706

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥3,060

$1,055 ¥7,056

-56.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 ¥1,672

$585 ¥3,910

-57.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 ¥6,939

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ¥3,438

$1,232 ¥8,240

-58.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 ¥30.2K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-67.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,346 ¥15.7K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-62.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ¥6,728

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-41.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.36

2.98%

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

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fuzhou

$250 32.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 134% $335

Groceries & Markets

Fuzhou

$175 23%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 34.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Fuzhou

$111 14.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Fuzhou

$80 10.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 31.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuzhou

$61 8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 25.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Fuzhou

$57 7.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 46.6% $27

Getting Around

Fuzhou

$28 3.6%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 30.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Fuzhou and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Fuzhou vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $235 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

Same time as Fuzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,291,268

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fuzhou Shanghai 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fuzhou
Shanghai

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 Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Shanghai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Fuzhou versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $762 per month in Fuzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. 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 63% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.