Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Xiamen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Xiamen

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 16.7% more expensive than Xiamen without rent, and 52.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 23.2% more expensive than Xiamen without rent, and 56.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.35

$2.82 ¥19.72

69.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$23.22 ¥162

54.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.07

$5.73 ¥40.05

-4.89%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.93

$2.75 ¥19.25

24.36%

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

$0.58 ¥4.08

$0.51 ¥3.58

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.20

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.92

$1.42 ¥9.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.59

$3.54 ¥24.76

-20.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.61

$1.88 ¥13.17

11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.94

$2.16 ¥15.09

-14.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.67

$0.77 ¥5.41

42.86%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.21

$1.38 ¥9.64

15.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$11.21 ¥78.4

36.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.56

$2.31 ¥16.11

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.9

$11.32 ¥79.2

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.32

$2.44 ¥17.05

-4.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.37

$1.34 ¥9.37

32.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.43

$1.51 ¥10.53

17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.29

$1.83 ¥12.79

-19.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.65

$0.98 ¥6.82

-17.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.11

$1.69 ¥11.84

-31.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.38

$0.81 ¥5.64

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.51 ¥3.54

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.38

$2.76 ¥19.31

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.3

$10.96 ¥76.6

4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.87

$0.73 ¥5.12

15.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.29

$1.60 ¥11.17

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.20 ¥1.40

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥239

$11.34 ¥79.3

200.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥16.00

$1.42 ¥9.93

61.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.64

$0.26 ¥1.82

46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.2

$6.80 ¥47.53

22.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.01

$1.19 ¥8.32

-3.36%

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

$19.7K ¥137.4K

$16.2K ¥113.5K

21.03%

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

$18.3K ¥127.7K

$17.8K ¥124.4K

2.59%

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

$52.1 ¥364

$39.01 ¥273

33.43%

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

$8.79 ¥61.4

$9.70 ¥67.8

-9.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.9

$9.41 ¥65.8

47.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥325

$44.81 ¥313

3.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$9.60 ¥67.1

106.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.9

$9.21 ¥64.4

-10.10%

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

$1,297 ¥9,069

$454 ¥3,173

185.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥216.0K

$22.2K ¥154.9K

39.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥418

$42.63 ¥298

40.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥266

$27.11 ¥190

40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$86.2 ¥602

-10.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥694

$78.8 ¥551

26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,600

$330 ¥2,310

185.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,986

$249 ¥1,741

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$868 ¥6,067

183.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,413

$504 ¥3,522

138.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.6K

$8,908 ¥62.3K

59.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.5K

$5,088 ¥35.6K

39.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,019 ¥7,123

60.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

3.56

0.56%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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