Cost of Living Comparison Between Urumqi and Sheikh Zayed Cost of Living Comparison Between Urumqi and Sheikh Zayed

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Urumqi is 2.5% cheaper than Sheikh Zayed without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Urumqi is 3.9% more expensive than Sheikh Zayed without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.37 Ā„22.99
$3.59 EĀ£186
-6.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.75 Ā„135
$16.04 EĀ£831
23.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.35 Ā„36.53
$4.00 EĀ£207
33.75%
Cappuccino
$2.98 Ā„20.37
$1.48 EĀ£76.9
101.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 Ā„2.89
$0.31 EĀ£16.19
35.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 Ā„1.51
$0.11 EĀ£5.73
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.08 Ā„7.36
$1.22 EĀ£63.1
-11.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 Ā„18.54
$3.03 EĀ£157
-10.56%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 Ā„7.22
$0.81 EĀ£41.81
30.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 Ā„5.53
$0.75 EĀ£38.71
8.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.33 Ā„2.28
$0.70 EĀ£36.05
-52.86%
Eggs
$1.51 Ā„10.32
$1.45 EĀ£75.3
4.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.69 Ā„38.85
$3.95 EĀ£205
44.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.11 Ā„14.43
$4.41 EĀ£229
-52.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.98 Ā„68.2
$9.70 EĀ£502
2.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.75 Ā„11.96
$1.41 EĀ£73.0
24.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 Ā„7.39
$0.51 EĀ£26.58
111.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 Ā„9.38
$0.43 EĀ£22.18
218.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.58 Ā„3.94
$0.39 EĀ£20.31
48.72%
Potato (1kg)
$0.43 Ā„2.96
$0.40 EĀ£20.85
7.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.88 Ā„5.99
$0.39 EĀ£20.15
125.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 Ā„4.91
$0.22 EĀ£11.40
227.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 Ā„3.75
$0.18 EĀ£9.16
205.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Ā„15.54
$1.68 EĀ£87.0
35.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.11 Ā„69.0
$4.74 EĀ£245
113.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 Ā„6.93
$1.35 EĀ£70.1
-25.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 Ā„11.55
$2.61 EĀ£135
-35.25%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 Ā„1.25
$0.23 EĀ£11.83
-21.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.68 Ā„93.4
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 Ā„9.37
$0.56 EĀ£29.10
144.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 Ā„2.40
$0.45 EĀ£23.45
-22.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.55 Ā„51.6
$2.02 EĀ£105
273.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 Ā„7.37
$0.31 EĀ£15.89
248.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K Ā„154.3K
$36.0K EĀ£1.9M
-37.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.8K Ā„134.9K
$33.4K EĀ£1.7M
-40.87%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.01 Ā„280
$11.51 EĀ£596
256.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.36 Ā„36.58
$5.55 EĀ£288
-3.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.84 Ā„94.5
$9.93 EĀ£514
39.38%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.71 Ā„93.7
$40.05 EĀ£2,075
-65.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.46 Ā„57.8
$9.83 EĀ£509
-13.94%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 Ā„34.15
$3.00 EĀ£156
66.67%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$169 Ā„1,154
$88.3 EĀ£4,575
91.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,589 Ā„51.8K
$1,832 EĀ£94.9K
314.21%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.05 Ā„192
$27.26 EĀ£1,412
2.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.20 Ā„97.0
$48.81 EĀ£2,528
-70.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.9 Ā„607
$107 EĀ£5,560
-17.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$28.22 Ā„193
$51.0 EĀ£2,640
-44.62%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$244 Ā„1,670
$188 EĀ£9,763
29.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$111 Ā„760
$99.1 EĀ£5,134
12.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$399 Ā„2,725
$441 EĀ£22.8K
-9.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$211 Ā„1,440
$175 EĀ£9,089
20.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,885 Ā„12.9K
$1,015 EĀ£52.6K
85.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,200 Ā„8,194
$558 EĀ£28.9K
114.86%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Urumqi
Sheikh Zayed
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,124 Ā„7,674
$134 EĀ£6,956
736.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
17
-82.35%

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

Last update for Urumqi: April 13, 2026

Last update for Sheikh Zayed: April 11, 2026

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

Urumqi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ China
$523
/mo nomad
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šŸ‡ŖšŸ‡¬ Egypt
$520
/mo nomad
Urumqi
šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ China
$523
/mo nomad
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šŸ‡ŖšŸ‡¬ Egypt
$532
/mo nomad
Urumqi
šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ China
$523
/mo nomad
Shanghai
šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ China
$1,194
/mo nomad
Urumqi
šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ China
$523
/mo nomad
Sheikh Zayed
šŸ‡ŖšŸ‡¬ Egypt
$488
/mo nomad
Show more

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