Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wuhan and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $691 a month against $825 in Wuhan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Wuhan
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Wuhan Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Wuhan

🇨🇳 China

$825

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wuhan and in Shantou

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

A single person spends $825 per month in Wuhan vs $691 in Shantou, rent included.

Wuhan $825
Shantou $691

A couple spends around $1,281 per month in Wuhan vs $1,107 in Shantou, rent included.

Wuhan $1,281
Shantou $1,107

A family of three spends $1,738 per month in Wuhan vs $1,524 in Shantou, rent included.

Wuhan $1,738
Shantou $1,524

Wuhan costs about 19% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Wuhan and Shantou are more affordable than the global median – Wuhan 39% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.24

$2.28 ¥15.20

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥148

$23.55 ¥157

-5.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ¥46.12

$5.27 ¥35.05

31.50%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥15.32

$3.29 ¥21.90

-30.09%

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

$0.48 ¥3.21

$0.47 ¥3.14

2.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.31 ¥2.05

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.93 ¥6.22

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥22.23

$2.22 ¥14.80

50.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ¥14.56

$1.61 ¥10.70

36.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.76

$1.47 ¥9.79

20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.74

$0.78 ¥5.18

29.49%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.70 ¥11.34

1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.53 ¥90.0

$13.70 ¥91.2

-1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.85

$3.29 ¥21.89

4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.65 ¥84.2

$12.93 ¥86.1

-2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.16

$2.05 ¥13.65

18.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.70

$1.57 ¥10.47

-16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.98

$1.83 ¥12.17

-18.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$1.38 ¥9.17

-18.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$0.85 ¥5.68

7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.98

$1.01 ¥6.72

-10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.59 ¥3.95

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.76

$0.43 ¥2.85

32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 ¥33.22

$3.77 ¥25.10

32.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 ¥101

$11.80 ¥78.5

28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$0.84 ¥5.56

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.12

$1.74 ¥11.59

13.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.38 ¥2.54

21.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.56 ¥197

$24.13 ¥161

22.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.71

$1.46 ¥9.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.39 ¥2.58

-25.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 ¥27.26

$7.39 ¥49.20

-44.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.68

$1.24 ¥8.28

4.84%

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

$19.6K ¥130.4K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

-0.48%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$18.2K ¥121.0K

-3.56%

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

$68.7 ¥457

$58.3 ¥388

17.85%

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

$8.76 ¥58.3

$9.17 ¥61.0

-4.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.76 ¥78.3

$13.84 ¥92.1

-15.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 ¥359

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 ¥120

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 ¥40.95

$7.42 ¥49.37

-17.12%

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

$389 ¥2,591

$527 ¥3,510

-26.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ¥71.1K

$24.3K ¥162.0K

-56.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ¥358

$55.2 ¥368

-2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.47 ¥223

$40.48 ¥269

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥541

$72.4 ¥482

12.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ¥754

$92.9 ¥618

21.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥2,146

$295 ¥1,966

9.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,273

$148 ¥985

29.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ¥3,993

$590 ¥3,930

1.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,193

$301 ¥2,001

9.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,072 ¥20.4K

$2,209 ¥14.7K

39.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,468 ¥9,771

$4,479 ¥29.8K

-67.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,092 ¥7,268

$1,070 ¥7,121

2.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

3.35

-2.09%

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

Last update for Wuhan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wuhan

$229 27.8%

Shantou

$214 31% 6.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Wuhan

$191 23.2%

Shantou

$148 21.4% 22.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Wuhan

$127 15.4%

Shantou

$117 17% 7.4% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wuhan

$89 10.8%

Shantou

$81 11.8% 8.9% $7.9

Eating Out

Wuhan

$88 10.6%

Shantou

$86 12.4% 2% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Wuhan

$66 8%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 77.6% $51

Getting Around

Wuhan

$34 4.2%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 15.3% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $323 in Wuhan versus $295 in Shantou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Wuhan versus $24 in Shantou. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Wuhan vs $214 in Shantou – so Shantou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Wuhan

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Wuhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,450,000

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wuhan Shantou 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wuhan
Shantou

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

Wuhan vs Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $825 in Wuhan, $691 in Shantou – Shantou comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,237 per month in Wuhan and $1,036 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $323 in Wuhan and $295 in Shantou. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Wuhan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Wuhan and $24 in Shantou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $825 in Wuhan and $691 in Shantou, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.