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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Xiamen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Xiamen

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Shantou is 6.7% more expensive than Xiamen without rent, and 12% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Shantou is 12.2% cheaper than Xiamen without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.14 ยฅ14.96
$2.82 ยฅ19.69
-24.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.46 ยฅ115
$23.22 ยฅ162
-29.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ยฅ33.37
$5.73 ยฅ39.99
-16.58%
Cappuccino
$3.23 ยฅ22.56
$2.75 ยฅ19.22
17.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ยฅ3.14
$0.51 ยฅ3.57
-11.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ยฅ1.92
$0.31 ยฅ2.20
-9.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 ยฅ6.10
$1.42 ยฅ9.93
-38.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 ยฅ19.03
$3.54 ยฅ24.73
-22.88%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ยฅ11.43
$1.88 ยฅ13.15
-12.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ยฅ9.97
$2.16 ยฅ15.07
-33.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.67 ยฅ4.68
$0.77 ยฅ5.40
-12.99%
Eggs
$1.92 ยฅ13.40
$1.38 ยฅ9.63
39.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.55 ยฅ87.6
$11.21 ยฅ78.2
11.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 ยฅ27.31
$2.31 ยฅ16.09
69.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.25 ยฅ85.5
$11.32 ยฅ79.0
8.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
$2.44 ยฅ17.02
-22.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 ยฅ10.27
$1.34 ยฅ9.35
9.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ยฅ11.41
$1.51 ยฅ10.52
7.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 ยฅ8.64
$1.83 ยฅ12.77
-32.24%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 ยฅ5.48
$0.98 ยฅ6.81
-19.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ยฅ6.52
$1.69 ยฅ11.83
-44.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 ยฅ4.79
$0.81 ยฅ5.63
-14.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
$0.51 ยฅ3.54
-13.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.41 ยฅ23.77
$2.76 ยฅ19.29
23.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.82 ยฅ82.5
$10.96 ยฅ76.5
7.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ยฅ5.82
$0.73 ยฅ5.12
13.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 ยฅ13.10
$1.60 ยฅ11.15
17.50%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ยฅ2.56
$0.20 ยฅ1.39
85.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.87 ยฅ153
$11.34 ยฅ79.2
92.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.55 ยฅ10.79
$1.42 ยฅ9.92
9.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ยฅ2.29
$0.26 ยฅ1.81
26.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.73 ยฅ46.98
$6.80 ยฅ47.46
-1.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ยฅ7.90
$1.19 ยฅ8.31
-5.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ยฅ147.6K
$16.2K ยฅ113.3K
30.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ยฅ135.7K
$17.8K ยฅ124.3K
9.19%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.1 ยฅ371
$39.01 ยฅ272
36.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.21 ยฅ57.3
$9.70 ยฅ67.7
-15.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.70 ยฅ88.7
$9.41 ยฅ65.7
34.96%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.18 ยฅ294
$44.81 ยฅ313
-5.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.99 ยฅ97.7
$9.60 ยฅ67.0
45.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 ยฅ48.25
$9.21 ยฅ64.3
-24.97%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ยฅ3,255
$454 ยฅ3,169
2.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K ยฅ143.5K
$22.2K ยฅ154.7K
-7.21%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.66 ยฅ340
$42.63 ยฅ298
14.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.96 ยฅ216
$27.11 ยฅ189
14.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 ยฅ529
$86.2 ยฅ602
-12.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.6 ยฅ549
$78.8 ยฅ550
-0.18%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$278 ยฅ1,943
$330 ยฅ2,306
-15.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 ยฅ974
$249 ยฅ1,739
-43.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$548 ยฅ3,824
$868 ยฅ6,058
-36.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$274 ยฅ1,911
$504 ยฅ3,517
-45.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,152 ยฅ15.0K
$8,908 ยฅ62.2K
-75.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,238 ยฅ29.6K
$5,088 ยฅ35.5K
-16.69%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Shantou
Xiamen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,015 ยฅ7,088
$1,019 ยฅ7,113
-0.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
3.56
13.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shantou: January 13, 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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