Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Xiamen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $832 in Xiamen.

Shanghai $1,222
Xiamen $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $1,337 in Xiamen.

Shanghai $1,971
Xiamen $1,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,842 in Xiamen.

Shanghai $2,720
Xiamen $1,842

Living in Shanghai is roughly 47% more expensive than in Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Xiamen 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.10

$2.93 ¥19.52

54.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$23.60 ¥157

27.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.02

$5.20 ¥34.57

-1.73%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.69

$2.57 ¥17.09

32.68%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.11

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.35 ¥2.35

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.51 ¥10.07

-18.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.95 ¥19.60

-21.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.51

$1.47 ¥9.77

27.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.87

$2.28 ¥15.16

-14.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.95 ¥6.31

3.16%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.30

$1.64 ¥10.89

3.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$12.02 ¥79.9

41.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.40

$2.45 ¥16.27

31.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$11.76 ¥78.2

9.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.30

$2.58 ¥17.19

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.47

$1.48 ¥9.82

16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.50

$1.67 ¥11.12

21.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.53

$1.99 ¥13.25

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.97 ¥6.48

-14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.81 ¥12.06

-49.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.93 ¥6.16

-27.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.54 ¥3.62

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.09

$2.92 ¥19.39

29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.3

$11.38 ¥75.7

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$0.79 ¥5.28

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.74 ¥11.57

-8.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.16 ¥1.08

256.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$11.93 ¥79.3

148.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.46 ¥9.68

46.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.29 ¥1.91

62.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.1

$7.39 ¥49.14

18.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.33 ¥8.85

0.75%

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

$19.3K ¥128.0K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

-2.49%

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

$18.3K ¥121.6K

$17.6K ¥116.8K

4.06%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$43.23 ¥288

36.25%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$8.70 ¥57.9

-9.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$10.38 ¥69.0

2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$47.30 ¥315

37.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$10.31 ¥68.6

69.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.2

$10.24 ¥68.1

-11.52%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$496 ¥3,302

219.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.8K

$24.8K ¥164.9K

13.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$39.20 ¥261

39.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$29.55 ¥197

25.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$107 ¥711

-30.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$84.5 ¥562

25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,822

$352 ¥2,345

191.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,720

$266 ¥1,768

110.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$841 ¥5,595

211.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,922

$544 ¥3,615

119.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥88.9K

$8,588 ¥57.1K

55.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$4,847 ¥32.2K

34.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,179 ¥7,845

45.17%

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 Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Xiamen

$266 32% 52.5% $293

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 8.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 4.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 19% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 18.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 19.5% $15

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 57.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $352 in Xiamen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 45% 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 in Shanghai vs $24 in Xiamen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $217 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,531,000

💱 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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Shanghai Xiamen 820 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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,222 in Shanghai and $832 in Xiamen, so Xiamen is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $352 in Xiamen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai versus $496 in Xiamen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Xiamen 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.

Expats usually find Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.