Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $728 a month against $776 in Contagem, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. The total is higher in Contagem despite lower rent and utilities.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$728

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xi'an and in Contagem

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

A single person spends $728 per month in Xi'an vs $776 in Contagem, rent included.

Xi'an $728
Contagem $776

A couple spends around $1,139 per month in Xi'an vs $1,248 in Contagem, rent included.

Xi'an $1,139
Contagem $1,248

A family of three spends $1,550 per month in Xi'an vs $1,719 in Contagem, rent included.

Xi'an $1,550
Contagem $1,719

Xi'an is about 6% cheaper than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Xi'an and Contagem are more affordable than the global median – Xi'an 46% lower, Contagem 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.62 ¥17.51

$5.86 R$29.69

-55.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 ¥121

$30.09 R$153

-39.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 ¥30.64

$7.07 R$35.84

-35.22%

Cappuccino

$2.11 ¥14.10

$1.69 R$8.58

24.85%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.35 R$6.85

-67.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.62 R$3.13

-53.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.26 R$6.41

15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$2.51 R$12.72

-39.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$0.95 R$4.84

56.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.83 R$9.30

-4.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$1.35 R$6.85

-32.59%

Eggs

$1.42 ¥9.46

$2.01 R$10.20

-29.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 ¥77.1

$9.67 R$49.00

19.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ¥26.44

$3.39 R$17.16

16.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 ¥70.3

$7.58 R$38.41

38.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.77

$1.88 R$9.51

-14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.21 R$6.14

-8.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$0.96 R$4.87

29.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$1.64 R$8.31

-22.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$1.08 R$5.49

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.66

$0.96 R$4.86

-27.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.84 R$4.25

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.83 R$4.20

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ¥21.95

$1.60 R$8.12

105.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.2

$5.80 R$29.41

68.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$0.94 R$4.79

-13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$1.41 R$7.17

24.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.44 R$7.31

-79.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.36 ¥176

$79.3 R$402

-66.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.13 R$5.74

10.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.72 R$3.63

-59.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 ¥30.30

$6.28 R$31.82

-27.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$1.28 R$6.48

5.47%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-17.85%

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

$17.5K ¥116.8K

$32.2K R$163.0K

-45.65%

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

$87.8 ¥587

$77.6 R$393

13.12%

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

$6.44 ¥43.07

$10.12 R$51.3

-36.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.73 ¥71.7

$19.31 R$97.9

-44.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.45 ¥197

$26.80 R$136

9.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.20 ¥142

$23.87 R$121

-11.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.67 ¥37.90

$7.02 R$35.59

-19.23%

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

$683 ¥4,567

$143 R$725

377.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$2,614 R$13.2K

575.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 ¥262

$59.9 R$304

-34.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.89 ¥253

$49.09 R$249

-22.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 ¥509

$67.1 R$340

13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 ¥601

$48.13 R$244

86.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 ¥2,080

$223 R$1,132

39.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ¥1,183

$154 R$779

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 ¥5,829

$472 R$2,391

84.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,364

$319 R$1,617

10.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,400 ¥16.0K

$2,016 R$10.2K

19.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,622 ¥10.8K

$1,004 R$5,087

61.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,071 ¥7,164

$263 R$1,331

307.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

10.67

-68.60%

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

Last update for Xi'an: October 17, 2026

Last update for Contagem: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$193 26.5%

Contagem

$176 22.7% 8.7% $17

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$177 24.3%

Contagem

$154 19.8% 13.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$109 15%

Contagem

$101 13% 7.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$105 14.4%

Contagem

$107 13.8% 2% $2.1

Eating Out

Xi'an

$73 10.1%

Contagem

$108 13.9% 46.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$41 5.6%

Contagem

$41 5.3% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.2%

Contagem

$90 11.6% 197% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $311 in Xi'an versus $223 in Contagem. 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 308% higher in Xi'an, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Xi'an versus $30.00 in Contagem. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Xi'an vs $176 in Contagem – so Contagem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

11 h behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

621,863

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Xi'an Contagem 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Xi'an
Contagem

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

Xi'an vs Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Contagem is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,093 per month in Xi'an and $1,164 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 201% less in Xi'an. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $683 per month in Xi'an and $143 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $728 in Xi'an and $776 in Contagem, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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