Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mogadishu and Chengdu

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mogadishu and in Chengdu

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

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

Mogadishu $616
Chengdu $749

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

Mogadishu $949
Chengdu $1,210

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

Mogadishu $1,282
Chengdu $1,672

Mogadishu is about 18% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 SOS 1,681

$2.86 ¥19.11

3.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

$22.74 ¥152

53.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 SOS 2,573

$4.83 ¥32.28

-6.21%

Cappuccino

$2.03 SOS 1,155

$2.99 ¥19.99

-32.11%

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

$1.20 SOS 680

$0.48 ¥3.19

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.28 ¥1.88

89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 SOS 720

$1.81 ¥12.10

-29.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 SOS 897

$1.54 ¥10.28

2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 SOS 449

$0.93 ¥6.21

-15.05%

Eggs

$1.95 SOS 1,107

$1.55 ¥10.37

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 SOS 2,913

$14.37 ¥96.1

-64.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 SOS 2,189

$3.60 ¥24.05

6.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 SOS 2,585

$11.14 ¥74.5

-59.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 SOS 2,169

$1.82 ¥12.19

109.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 SOS 555

$1.34 ¥8.94

-26.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 SOS 1,727

$1.09 ¥7.30

178.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 SOS 745

$1.19 ¥7.98

10.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SOS 876

$0.75 ¥4.99

105.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 SOS 1,000

$0.68 ¥4.52

158.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 SOS 861

$0.63 ¥4.22

141.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SOS 303

$0.54 ¥3.58

-1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.22

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ¥29.41

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SOS 1,156

$0.83 ¥5.52

145.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.08

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 SOS 298

$0.38 ¥2.56

36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.58 ¥164

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SOS 577

$1.37 ¥9.18

-25.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 SOS 325

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 SOS 1,744

$4.59 ¥30.71

-33.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 SOS 485

$1.31 ¥8.78

-35.11%

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)

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

$17.9K ¥119.3K

-64.07%

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

$161 SOS 91.6K

$48.01 ¥321

235.99%

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

$4.89 SOS 2,778

$9.42 ¥63.0

-48.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

$12.75 ¥85.2

420.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

$27.36 ¥183

15.13%

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)

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

$373 ¥2,494

-79.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$771 SOS 438.1K

$14.7K ¥98.3K

-94.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.11 SOS 8,013

$25.03 ¥167

-43.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.82 SOS 7,848

$28.15 ¥188

-50.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

$56.0 ¥374

-55.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

$51.3 ¥343

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 SOS 112.6K

$465 ¥3,109

-57.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

$256 ¥1,712

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 SOS 267.0K

$833 ¥5,570

-43.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 SOS 107.8K

$539 ¥3,606

-64.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,145 SOS 1.8M

$3,747 ¥25.1K

-16.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,428 SOS 1.4M

$1,917 ¥12.8K

26.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 SOS 159.2K

$1,254 ¥8,382

-77.64%

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 Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mogadishu

$233 37.8%

Chengdu

$70 9.4% 69.8% $162

Groceries & Markets

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3%

Chengdu

$194 25.9% 19.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Mogadishu

$77 12.4%

Chengdu

$256 34.2% 235% $179

Eating Out

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1%

Chengdu

$88 11.8% 28.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Mogadishu

$38 6.3%

Chengdu

$72 9.6% 87.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1%

Chengdu

$39 5.2% 24.1% $7.6

Getting Around

Mogadishu

$6 * 1%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 386% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $198 in Mogadishu versus $465 in Chengdu. 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu versus $23.00 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Mogadishu vs $194 in Chengdu – so Mogadishu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

19:37 7:37 PM

5 h ahead of Mogadishu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,610,000 Capital

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

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).

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).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mogadishu Chengdu 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mogadishu
Chengdu

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

Mogadishu vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $924 per month in Mogadishu and $1,123 in Chengdu. 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 $35.00 in Mogadishu and $23.00 in Chengdu. 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 $616 in Mogadishu and $749 in Chengdu, 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.