Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen and in Xiamen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $832 in Xiamen.

Shenzhen $1,117
Xiamen $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,337 in Xiamen.

Shenzhen $1,714
Xiamen $1,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,842 in Xiamen.

Shenzhen $2,310
Xiamen $1,842

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 34% more expensive than in Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Xiamen 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.30

$2.93 ¥19.49

24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$23.60 ¥157

24.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.10

$5.20 ¥34.52

1.54%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.30

$2.57 ¥17.06

30.74%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.10

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.35 ¥2.35

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.51 ¥10.06

-1.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.23

$2.95 ¥19.57

-27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.20

$1.47 ¥9.76

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.82

$2.28 ¥15.14

-28.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.95 ¥6.30

20.00%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.61

$1.64 ¥10.87

6.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$12.02 ¥79.8

72.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.67

$2.45 ¥16.24

39.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$11.76 ¥78.1

22.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.93

$2.58 ¥17.16

-12.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.48 ¥9.80

9.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.67 ¥11.10

16.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.45

$1.99 ¥13.23

-28.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.97 ¥6.47

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.50

$1.81 ¥12.04

-29.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.93 ¥6.15

-35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.54 ¥3.61

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.44

$2.92 ¥19.36

51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$11.38 ¥75.6

6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.79 ¥5.28

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.12

$1.74 ¥11.55

5.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.16 ¥1.08

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$11.93 ¥79.2

51.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.13

$1.46 ¥9.67

4.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.29 ¥1.91

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.88

$7.39 ¥49.07

-0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.33 ¥8.84

-0.75%

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

$19.2K ¥127.7K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

-2.61%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.6K ¥116.7K

2.72%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$43.23 ¥287

49.83%

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

$9.90 ¥65.7

$8.70 ¥57.8

13.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$10.38 ¥68.9

58.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$47.30 ¥314

3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$10.31 ¥68.5

64.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.35

$10.24 ¥68.0

-28.91%

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

$537 ¥3,565

$496 ¥3,297

8.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.1K

$24.8K ¥164.7K

-1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$39.20 ¥260

42.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥269

$29.55 ¥196

37.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$107 ¥710

-31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥623

$84.5 ¥561

11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,000

$352 ¥2,341

113.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,126

$266 ¥1,766

77.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$841 ¥5,587

119.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,514

$544 ¥3,610

52.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$8,588 ¥57.0K

53.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.0K

$4,847 ¥32.2K

33.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,179 ¥7,833

49.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Xiamen

$266 32% 43.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 12.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 1.2% $1.4

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 14.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 31.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 6.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 33.8% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $352 in Xiamen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $24 in Xiamen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $217 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Shenzhen vs Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiamen wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Xiamen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $352 in Xiamen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Xiamen runs roughly 34% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $496 in Xiamen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. 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 Shenzhen, 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 26% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.