Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Shantou Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Shantou

🙂 Solo nomad: Xiamen is 4.9% cheaper than Shantou without rent, and 14.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Xiamen is 5.5% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 15.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.71 ¥18.49
$2.07 ¥14.13
30.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.68 ¥155
$16.42 ¥112
38.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.46 ¥37.32
$4.78 ¥32.63
14.23%
Cappuccino
$2.71 ¥18.51
$3.17 ¥21.66
-14.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.20
$0.45 ¥3.05
4.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥1.95
$0.30 ¥2.05
-3.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 ¥9.23
$0.83 ¥5.66
62.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ¥24.17
$2.62 ¥17.89
35.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 ¥12.31
$1.70 ¥11.61
5.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 ¥14.41
$1.35 ¥9.22
56.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.78 ¥5.32
$0.68 ¥4.66
14.71%
Eggs
$1.35 ¥9.21
$1.83 ¥12.52
-26.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.02 ¥75.2
$12.68 ¥86.6
-13.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.28 ¥15.59
$3.89 ¥26.56
-41.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.23 ¥76.7
$12.27 ¥83.8
-8.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.36 ¥16.12
$1.88 ¥12.83
25.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 ¥9.03
$1.41 ¥9.60
-6.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ¥10.74
$1.64 ¥11.18
-4.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.85 ¥12.61
$1.28 ¥8.74
44.53%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 ¥6.54
$0.78 ¥5.35
23.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.51
$0.96 ¥6.54
76.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 ¥5.61
$0.64 ¥4.36
28.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ¥3.80
$0.41 ¥2.77
36.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.82 ¥19.27
$3.44 ¥23.49
-18.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.01 ¥75.2
$11.87 ¥81.1
-7.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ¥5.12
$0.76 ¥5.22
-1.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ¥10.87
$1.86 ¥12.72
-14.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ¥1.36
$0.33 ¥2.29
-39.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.08 ¥75.7
$22.35 ¥153
-50.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ¥9.27
$1.49 ¥10.16
-8.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ¥1.93
$0.33 ¥2.25
-15.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.48 ¥44.28
$6.83 ¥46.63
-5.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥8.09
$1.14 ¥7.79
3.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.6K ¥113.6K
$21.0K ¥143.2K
-20.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.6K ¥119.9K
$19.0K ¥129.9K
-7.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.47 ¥270
$54.5 ¥372
-27.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.00 ¥68.3
$8.40 ¥57.4
19.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.90 ¥67.6
$13.00 ¥88.8
-23.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.11 ¥308
$41.83 ¥286
7.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.62 ¥65.7
$13.84 ¥94.5
-30.49%
Cinema Ticket
$9.66 ¥66.0
$6.90 ¥47.15
40.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$452 ¥3,086
$461 ¥3,152
-2.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.4K ¥153.3K
$20.9K ¥142.9K
7.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.75 ¥299
$49.51 ¥338
-11.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.18 ¥186
$29.89 ¥204
-9.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.2 ¥582
$74.2 ¥507
14.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 ¥536
$78.1 ¥533
0.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$330 ¥2,254
$277 ¥1,894
19.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$251 ¥1,714
$137 ¥938
82.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$854 ¥5,831
$559 ¥3,817
52.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$516 ¥3,522
$274 ¥1,874
87.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,972 ¥61.3K
$2,209 ¥15.1K
306.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,042 ¥34.4K
$4,403 ¥30.1K
14.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Xiamen
Shantou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,125 ¥7,680
$1,031 ¥7,043
9.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
4.04
-11.88%

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

Last update for Xiamen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: April 13, 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

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