Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Fuzhou

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
Learn more

Fuzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Fuzhou

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

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

Shanghai $1,244
Fuzhou $762

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

Shanghai $1,999
Fuzhou $1,227

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

Shanghai $2,755
Fuzhou $1,692

Living in Shanghai is roughly 63% more expensive than in Fuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.06 ¥20.47

49.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$23.06 ¥154

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.08 ¥33.98

3.35%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.50 ¥16.74

31.20%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.12

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.27 ¥1.78

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.86 ¥5.73

43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.74 ¥11.66

30.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.06 ¥13.81

-10.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.41 ¥9.43

39.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.93 ¥6.23

10.75%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.55 ¥10.39

7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$7.65 ¥51.1

121.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$2.18 ¥14.58

46.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$8.97 ¥60.0

43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.80 ¥12.07

24.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.32 ¥8.81

25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.68 ¥11.22

20.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.07 ¥7.14

55.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.84 ¥5.63

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.01 ¥6.75

-7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.44 ¥2.93

43.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.52 ¥3.49

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.01 ¥20.13

26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$10.99 ¥73.5

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.72 ¥4.81

13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.22 ¥8.13

31.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.29 ¥1.93

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$23.66 ¥158

24.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.52 ¥10.14

38.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.29 ¥1.91

48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$7.28 ¥48.68

24.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.25 ¥8.37

6.40%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

-1.91%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.6K ¥104.1K

20.18%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$43.17 ¥289

33.91%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.53 ¥57.1

-5.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$8.94 ¥59.8

17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$42.27 ¥283

55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$14.76 ¥98.7

20.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$7.38 ¥49.31

21.27%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$209 ¥1,395

577.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.1K ¥81.0K

129.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$39.90 ¥267

35.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$29.42 ¥197

26.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$90.5 ¥605

-17.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$86.9 ¥581

21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$458 ¥3,060

130.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$250 ¥1,672

133.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,038 ¥6,939

139.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$514 ¥3,438

139.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,514 ¥30.2K

208.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$2,346 ¥15.7K

166.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,006 ¥6,728

70.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.46

-2.89%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Fuzhou

$250 32.8% 57.2% $335

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Fuzhou

$175 23% 25.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Fuzhou

$111 14.6% 8.9% $11

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Fuzhou

$80 10.6% 24.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Fuzhou

$57 7.5% 31.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Fuzhou

$61 8% 20.6% $16

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Fuzhou

$28 3.6% 23.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $458 in Fuzhou. 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $23.00 in Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $175 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

8,291,268

💱 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

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Shanghai Fuzhou 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Shanghai vs Fuzhou: 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.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $458 in Fuzhou. 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 $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $762 in Fuzhou – 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.