Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Longyan

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Longyan

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

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

Shanghai $1,222
Longyan $465

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

Shanghai $1,971
Longyan $754

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

Shanghai $2,720
Longyan $1,044

Shanghai costs about 163% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$2.94 ¥19.51

54.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$22.79 ¥151

32.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$4.93 ¥32.77

3.65%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.29 ¥15.22

48.91%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.44 ¥2.91

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.95

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$0.87 ¥5.76

41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$1.63 ¥10.81

41.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$2.01 ¥13.33

-6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.47 ¥9.75

31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.77 ¥5.12

27.27%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.52 ¥10.08

11.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$7.62 ¥50.7

123.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$2.19 ¥14.56

47.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$9.46 ¥62.9

36.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.84 ¥12.22

16.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$1.33 ¥8.87

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.78 ¥11.80

14.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.08 ¥7.21

60.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.91 ¥6.04

-8.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.01 ¥6.70

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.47 ¥3.12

42.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.51 ¥3.41

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$3.44 ¥22.84

9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$12.20 ¥81.1

-9.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.77 ¥5.10

16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.22 ¥8.13

31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.15 ¥1.00

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.02 ¥6.78

109.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.51 ¥3.37

-7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$7.38 ¥49.03

18.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.33 ¥8.86

0.75%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

-1.20%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$15.6K ¥103.7K

17.15%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$67.6 ¥449

-12.84%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$15.77 ¥105

-49.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$8.78 ¥58.4

20.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$4.39 ¥29.16

297.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$7.56 ¥50.3

19.84%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$213 ¥1,417

644.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$11.9K ¥79.3K

136.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$29.53 ¥196

84.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$15.14 ¥101

145.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$73.7 ¥490

1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$98.6 ¥655

7.71%

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)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$370 ¥2,459

607.59%

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)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,375 ¥9,136

374.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$492 ¥3,266

248.33%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Longyan

$179 38.6% 24.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Longyan

$98 21% 20.4% $25

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Longyan

$76 16.4% 28.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 81.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Longyan

$92 19.8% 19% $15

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9% 88.6% $32

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 $30 in Shanghai versus $23 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $179 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,559,545

💱 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

Shanghai Longyan 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Longyan

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

Shanghai vs Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai and $23 in Longyan. 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.