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

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 17.3% more expensive than Xiamen without rent, and 54% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 18.5% more expensive than Xiamen without rent, and 58.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 ¥33.14

$2.87 ¥19.84

67.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.90 ¥248

$23.07 ¥159

55.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥37.34

$5.62 ¥38.86

-3.91%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥24.72

$2.86 ¥19.78

25.17%

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

$0.59 ¥4.04

$0.51 ¥3.51

15.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.32

$0.29 ¥2.00

17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.53

$1.43 ¥9.87

-3.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ¥19.19

$3.58 ¥24.75

-22.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.70

$1.81 ¥12.48

17.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 ¥12.38

$2.18 ¥15.08

-17.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.30

$0.81 ¥5.62

30.86%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥11.30

$1.34 ¥9.27

21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.57 ¥108

$11.18 ¥77.3

39.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥21.40

$2.31 ¥15.94

34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ¥76.0

$11.18 ¥77.3

-1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ¥15.61

$2.36 ¥16.34

-4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.97

$1.35 ¥9.30

28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.48

$1.50 ¥10.39

20.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ¥10.04

$1.86 ¥12.85

-22.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.43

$0.95 ¥6.59

-16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.80

$1.65 ¥11.38

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.70

$0.83 ¥5.72

-18.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.89

$0.51 ¥3.52

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ¥18.77

$2.76 ¥19.06

-1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥75.4

$11.03 ¥76.2

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.75

$0.80 ¥5.49

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.13

$1.64 ¥11.35

-1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.20 ¥1.38

115.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥236

$11.28 ¥78.0

203.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ¥14.99

$1.42 ¥9.84

52.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.60

$0.28 ¥1.96

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.27 ¥57.1

$6.86 ¥47.42

20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥7.63

$1.19 ¥8.20

-7.56%

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

$19.5K ¥135.0K

$16.3K ¥112.7K

19.86%

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

$17.9K ¥123.7K

$17.4K ¥120.5K

2.60%

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

$53.1 ¥367

$38.50 ¥266

38.03%

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

$8.64 ¥59.7

$10.05 ¥69.5

-14.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.54 ¥93.6

$9.40 ¥65.0

44.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.44 ¥321

$45.01 ¥311

3.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.76 ¥137

$9.52 ¥65.8

107.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 ¥58.2

$9.29 ¥64.2

-9.36%

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

$1,265 ¥8,744

$452 ¥3,124

179.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ¥215.3K

$22.6K ¥156.5K

37.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ¥403

$43.49 ¥300

33.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.31 ¥258

$26.80 ¥185

39.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ¥537

$84.4 ¥583

-7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥664

$80.7 ¥558

19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$950 ¥6,563

$331 ¥2,290

186.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,933

$250 ¥1,724

128.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 ¥17.5K

$873 ¥6,030

189.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ¥8,340

$505 ¥3,487

139.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥96.1K

$8,987 ¥62.1K

54.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,247 ¥50.1K

$5,187 ¥35.8K

39.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 ¥11.7K

$1,126 ¥7,782

49.83%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: March 2, 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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