Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyan and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Longyan 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 Longyan and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $465 per month in Longyan vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Longyan $465
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $754 per month in Longyan vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Longyan $754
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $1,044 per month in Longyan vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Longyan $1,044
Shanghai $2,720

Longyan is about 62% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Longyan and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Longyan 66% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ¥19.51

$4.53 ¥30.07

-35.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.79 ¥151

$30.16 ¥200

-24.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥32.77

$5.11 ¥33.99

-3.52%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ¥15.22

$3.41 ¥22.67

-32.84%

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

$0.44 ¥2.91

$0.58 ¥3.85

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.35 ¥2.36

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.76

$1.23 ¥8.21

-29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.81

$2.31 ¥15.35

-29.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.33

$1.88 ¥12.50

6.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥9.75

$1.94 ¥12.86

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$0.98 ¥6.51

-21.43%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.08

$1.70 ¥11.29

-10.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 ¥50.7

$17.02 ¥113

-55.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.19 ¥14.56

$3.22 ¥21.38

-31.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 ¥62.9

$12.93 ¥85.9

-26.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$2.15 ¥14.29

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.73 ¥11.46

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.80

$2.03 ¥13.49

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$1.73 ¥11.52

-37.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.04

$0.83 ¥5.50

9.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.70

$0.92 ¥6.12

9.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.67 ¥4.47

-29.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.59 ¥3.92

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥22.84

$3.77 ¥25.06

-8.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 ¥81.1

$11.03 ¥73.3

10.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.10

$0.90 ¥5.99

-14.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.60 ¥10.66

-23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥1.00

$0.57 ¥3.80

-73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ¥6.78

$2.14 ¥14.23

-52.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ¥3.37

$0.47 ¥3.10

8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.03

$8.74 ¥58.1

-15.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.34 ¥8.92

-0.75%

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

$19.5K ¥129.5K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

1.21%

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

$15.6K ¥103.7K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

-14.64%

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

$67.6 ¥449

$58.9 ¥391

14.74%

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

$15.77 ¥105

$7.90 ¥52.5

99.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ¥58.4

$10.60 ¥70.4

-17.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.39 ¥29.16

$17.47 ¥116

-74.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ¥50.3

$9.06 ¥60.2

-16.56%

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

$213 ¥1,417

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-86.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ¥79.3K

$28.2K ¥187.6K

-57.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.53 ¥196

$54.6 ¥363

-45.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.14 ¥101

$37.21 ¥247

-59.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 ¥490

$74.6 ¥495

-1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 ¥655

$106 ¥706

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,459

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-85.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 ¥9,136

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-78.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ¥3,266

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-71.29%

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 Longyan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Longyan

$179 38.6%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 31.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Longyan

$98 21%

Shanghai

$123 10% 25.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyan

$92 19.8%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 16% $15

Eating Out

Longyan

$76 16.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 40.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Longyan

$15 * 3.3%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 448% $68

Getting Around

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9%

Shanghai

$36 3% 775% $32

Accommodation & Living

Longyan

- * 0%

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Shanghai are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Longyan versus $30 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $237 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Longyan

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

Same time as Longyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,559,545

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Longyan Shanghai 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Longyan
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

Longyan vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $465 in Longyan, $1,222 in Shanghai – Longyan comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $697 per month in Longyan and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Longyan and $30 in Shanghai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Shanghai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $465, than in Shanghai at $1,222. In Longyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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