Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Zhangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $716 in Zhangzhou.

Shanghai $1,256
Zhangzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,132 in Zhangzhou.

Shanghai $1,999
Zhangzhou $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $1,547 in Zhangzhou.

Shanghai $2,743
Zhangzhou $1,547

Living in Shanghai is roughly 75% more expensive than in Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Zhangzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$2.74 ¥18.35

62.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$21.73 ¥145

39.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.80 ¥32.11

6.04%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.05 ¥20.39

12.46%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.47 ¥3.16

31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.27 ¥1.78

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.90 ¥6.01

36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$2.06 ¥13.75

7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.81 ¥12.13

2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.59 ¥10.65

22.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$0.90 ¥6.03

11.11%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.55 ¥10.35

10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$12.58 ¥84.1

38.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$3.15 ¥21.08

2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$10.14 ¥67.8

28.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$1.86 ¥12.45

20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$1.25 ¥8.36

34.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.48 ¥9.91

31.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$1.10 ¥7.38

57.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.73 ¥4.88

4.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.91 ¥6.11

1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$0.55 ¥3.70

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.56 ¥3.72

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.06 ¥20.49

20.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$10.62 ¥71.0

2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$0.73 ¥4.89

19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$1.58 ¥10.55

3.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.29 ¥1.95

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$16.89 ¥113

79.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$1.41 ¥9.43

46.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.32 ¥2.17

43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$6.55 ¥43.79

34.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.12 ¥7.48

18.75%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

0.67%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

5.81%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$45.55 ¥305

25.38%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$9.74 ¥65.1

-17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$11.81 ¥79.0

-9.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$41.19 ¥275

56.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$13.66 ¥91.4

26.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$5.94 ¥39.75

52.36%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$337 ¥2,251

328.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

69.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$43.23 ¥289

23.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$30.11 ¥201

23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$71.1 ¥476

8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$72.8 ¥487

42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$282 ¥1,886

262.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$196 ¥1,308

203.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$584 ¥3,902

339.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$361 ¥2,411

236.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

354.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$2,003 ¥13.4K

211.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.89

-13.62%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 67.1% $398

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 17.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 19.9% $24

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 20.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 35.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 11.6% $8.8

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 43.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $22.00 in Zhangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $197 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,809,983

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shanghai Zhangzhou 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Zhangzhou differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $716 including rent). Zhangzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,074 in Zhangzhou to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $337 in Zhangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Zhangzhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.