Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Quanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $809 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Quanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $809 in Quanzhou.

Shanghai $1,222
Quanzhou $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,193 in Quanzhou.

Shanghai $1,971
Quanzhou $1,193

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,578 in Quanzhou.

Shanghai $2,720
Quanzhou $1,578

Living in Shanghai is roughly 51% more expensive than in Quanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Quanzhou 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.07

$2.27 ¥15.12

99.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥200

$30.03 ¥200

0.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥33.99

$4.89 ¥32.50

4.50%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.34 ¥22.20

2.10%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.46 ¥3.07

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.93

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$2.97 ¥19.74

-58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.35

$1.85 ¥12.30

24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.50

$1.52 ¥10.10

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$0.84 ¥5.55

130.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$0.93 ¥6.19

5.38%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.55 ¥10.33

9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$7.48 ¥49.73

127.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.38

$2.28 ¥15.14

41.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥85.9

$5.13 ¥34.10

152.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.29

$1.48 ¥9.84

45.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.46

$0.93 ¥6.15

86.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$0.76 ¥5.06

167.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$1.09 ¥7.21

58.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.50

$0.43 ¥2.87

93.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.00 ¥6.68

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.17 ¥1.12

294.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.51 ¥3.42

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.06

$3.26 ¥21.67

15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$7.60 ¥50.5

45.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.92 ¥6.13

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.66

$1.32 ¥8.78

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$24.35 ¥162

21.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$1.17 ¥7.78

82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.34 ¥2.25

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$8.81 ¥58.6

-0.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.25 ¥8.34

7.20%

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

$19.3K ¥127.9K

$18.1K ¥120.2K

6.41%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$15.8K ¥104.9K

15.74%

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

$58.9 ¥391

$51.8 ¥344

13.68%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$8.13 ¥54.0

-2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.4

$12.28 ¥81.6

-13.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$55.9 ¥372

15.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$18.53 ¥123

-5.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$5.96 ¥39.61

52.01%

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

$1,587 ¥10.5K

$522 ¥3,470

203.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.6K

$11.9K ¥79.1K

137.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$20.68 ¥137

164.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥247

$33.21 ¥221

12.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥495

$91.0 ¥604

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$96.1 ¥638

10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,816

$270 ¥1,792

280.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,716

$300 ¥1,995

86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$490 ¥3,254

434.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,915

$400 ¥2,658

197.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$3,041 ¥20.2K

339.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,972 ¥13.1K

230.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$827 ¥5,496

107.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.15

6.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quanzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Quanzhou

$300 37.1% 46.3% $259

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Quanzhou

$137 16.9% 42.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Quanzhou

$108 13.4% 11.6% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Quanzhou

$95 11.7% 11.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Quanzhou

$68 8.4% 18.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Quanzhou

$72 8.9% 6.7% $5.2

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Quanzhou

$28 3.5% 21.7% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $270 in Quanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $30 in Quanzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $137, with Quanzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

8,128,530

💱 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Quanzhou 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 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 Quanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $809 in Quanzhou, so Quanzhou is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $270 in Quanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $522 in Quanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Quanzhou runs roughly 18% less than in Shanghai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $809 in Quanzhou versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quanzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Quanzhou wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.