Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Tabriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabriz: $409 a month against $692 in Shantou, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Tabriz
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Tabriz Living Index

Jump to prices

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Tabriz

🇮🇷 Iran

$409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shantou and in Tabriz

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shantou and in Tabriz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $409 in Tabriz, rent included.

Shantou $692
Tabriz $409

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $689 in Tabriz, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Tabriz $689

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $968 in Tabriz, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Tabriz $968

Shantou costs about 69% more than Tabriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shantou and Tabriz are more affordable than the global median – Shantou 49% lower, Tabriz 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.34

$3.06 $3.06

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$15.10 $15.10

56.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.58

$3.98 $3.98

29.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 $1.06

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$1.36 $1.36

148.53%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.59 $0.59

-20.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.62 $0.62

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.27

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$0.59 $0.59

171.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$0.37 $0.37

291.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.60 $3.60

-78.61%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$0.91 $0.91

85.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$4.81 $4.81

183.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.90

$2.86 $2.86

19.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$9.65 $9.65

36.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.01 $1.01

93.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.32 $1.32

13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$0.85 $0.85

112.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$0.57 $0.57

128.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.53 $0.53

54.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$0.51 $0.51

107.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.42 $0.42

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.19 $0.19

126.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.58 $0.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 $0.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.70

$2.07 $2.07

78.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.09 $0.09

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$12.10 $12.10

100.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.41 $0.41

273.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.21 $0.21

80.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.85

$3.91 $3.91

86.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$0.09 $0.09

1266.67%

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

$19.8K ¥132.3K

$73.4K $73.4K

-73.03%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$53.0K $53.0K

-65.99%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$14.19 $14.19

299.30%

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

$8.89 ¥59.4

$1.91 $1.91

365.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$5.57 $5.57

148.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.36 $14.36

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.65 $24.65

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$1.49 $1.49

406.04%

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

$540 ¥3,613

$60.6 $60.6

792.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.0K

$550 $550

4308.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$15.57 $15.57

257.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$10.66 $10.66

272.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥488

$75.3 $75.3

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$49.19 $49.19

85.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$151 $151

96.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$119 $119

26.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$374 $374

61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,968

$248 $248

18.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$860 $860

165.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$837 $837

434.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,097

$232 $232

356.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

22.5

-85.11%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tabriz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Tabriz

$111 27.2% 48.1% $103

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Tabriz

$119 29.2% 21.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Tabriz

$68 16.6% 42% $49

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Tabriz

$58 14.1% 33.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Tabriz

$22 5.3% 72.7% $58

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Tabriz

$14 3.4% 52.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Tabriz

$17 4.2% 14.9% $2.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou versus $151 in Tabriz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 357% higher in Shantou, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Shantou versus $15.00 in Tabriz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $111 – making Tabriz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇮🇷 Tabriz

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

4 h 30 min behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

1,558,693

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Tabriz 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
Tabriz

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Shantou vs Tabriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $692 in Shantou, $409 in Tabriz – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou and $613 in Tabriz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tabriz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% more in Shantou, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Shantou and $15.00 in Tabriz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $692 in Shantou and $409 in Tabriz, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tabriz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tabriz. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shantou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.