Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
Learn more

Xiamen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xiamen and in Shanghai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Xiamen versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Xiamen $832
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Xiamen versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Xiamen $1,337
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,842 in Xiamen versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Xiamen $1,842
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 32% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xiamen 39% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$4.53 ¥30.05

-35.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$30.16 ¥200

-21.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$5.11 ¥33.97

1.76%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.41 ¥22.65

-24.63%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.23 ¥8.20

22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$2.31 ¥15.34

27.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.88 ¥12.49

-21.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$1.94 ¥12.85

17.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$0.98 ¥6.51

-3.06%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$1.70 ¥11.28

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$17.02 ¥113

-29.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$3.22 ¥21.37

-23.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$12.93 ¥85.9

-9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$2.15 ¥14.28

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.73 ¥11.46

-14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$2.03 ¥13.48

-17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$1.73 ¥11.52

15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$0.83 ¥5.50

16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$0.92 ¥6.12

96.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$0.67 ¥4.47

38.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.59 ¥3.91

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$3.77 ¥25.05

-22.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$11.03 ¥73.2

3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$0.90 ¥5.98

-12.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$1.60 ¥10.65

8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.57 ¥3.80

-71.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$29.62 ¥197

-59.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$2.14 ¥14.22

-31.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.47 ¥3.10

-38.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$8.74 ¥58.1

-15.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.34 ¥8.92

-0.75%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.3K ¥127.9K

2.55%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$18.3K ¥121.4K

-3.90%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$58.9 ¥391

-26.60%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$7.90 ¥52.4

10.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$10.60 ¥70.4

-2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$64.8 ¥430

-27.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$17.47 ¥116

-40.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$9.06 ¥60.1

13.02%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$1,587 ¥10.5K

-68.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$28.2K ¥187.5K

-12.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$54.6 ¥363

-28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$37.21 ¥247

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$74.6 ¥495

43.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$106 ¥705

-20.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$1,026 ¥6,812

-65.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$559 ¥3,714

-52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-67.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$1,191 ¥7,911

-54.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$13.4K ¥88.8K

-35.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$6,527 ¥43.3K

-25.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-31.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.36

2.98%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 110% $293

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 9.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Shanghai

$123 10% 4.8% $5.6

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 23.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 22.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 24.2% $15

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Shanghai

$36 3% 135% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $352 in Xiamen and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24 in Xiamen vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $237 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Xiamen Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
Shanghai

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

Xiamen vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $832 in Xiamen and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Xiamen is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Xiamen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $352 in Xiamen versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Xiamen versus $1,587 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. 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 Shanghai, 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 32% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.