Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $831 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$831

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xiamen 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 Xiamen and in Shantou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $831 per month in Xiamen vs $692 in Shantou, rent included.

Xiamen $831
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Xiamen vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Xiamen $1,338
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $1,846 per month in Xiamen vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Xiamen $1,846
Shantou $1,516

Xiamen costs about 20% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Xiamen and Shantou are more affordable than the global median – Xiamen 38% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.48

$2.29 ¥15.34

27.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.99 ¥160

$23.70 ¥158

1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 ¥35.36

$5.17 ¥34.58

2.32%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ¥17.01

$3.38 ¥22.63

-24.85%

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

$0.49 ¥3.28

$0.47 ¥3.12

4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.31 ¥2.05

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$0.88 ¥5.91

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.71

$2.13 ¥14.27

38.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$1.60 ¥10.71

-4.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 ¥15.74

$1.45 ¥9.73

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$0.77 ¥5.17

29.87%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.89

$1.69 ¥11.33

-3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 ¥80.9

$13.63 ¥91.1

-11.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.40

$3.43 ¥22.90

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$13.16 ¥88.0

-8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 ¥16.91

$1.95 ¥13.03

29.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$1.50 ¥10.05

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.81 ¥12.13

-8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ¥13.36

$1.30 ¥8.70

53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.82 ¥5.49

19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.06 ¥7.11

66.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.59 ¥3.96

45.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.43 ¥2.87

16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.53

$3.69 ¥24.70

-16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.33 ¥75.7

$12.00 ¥80.2

-5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$0.83 ¥5.57

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.29

$1.79 ¥11.98

-5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.04

$0.36 ¥2.41

-55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 ¥80.0

$24.27 ¥162

-50.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.20

$1.53 ¥10.24

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.38 ¥2.56

-18.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 ¥49.26

$7.31 ¥48.85

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.23 ¥8.24

2.44%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$19.8K ¥132.3K

-3.37%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$18.0K ¥120.5K

-1.99%

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

$44.38 ¥297

$56.7 ¥379

-21.67%

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

$8.49 ¥56.8

$8.89 ¥59.4

-4.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥69.4

$13.86 ¥92.7

-25.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 ¥318

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 ¥71.2

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 ¥67.9

$7.54 ¥50.5

34.75%

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

$491 ¥3,284

$540 ¥3,613

-9.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$24.2K ¥162.0K

0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.94 ¥260

$55.6 ¥372

-29.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 ¥195

$39.70 ¥265

-26.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥690

$73.1 ¥488

41.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 ¥568

$91.4 ¥611

-7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,375

$298 ¥1,991

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,771

$151 ¥1,011

75.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,623

$602 ¥4,027

39.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$294 ¥1,968

85.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,609 ¥57.6K

$2,278 ¥15.2K

277.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,717 ¥31.5K

$4,469 ¥29.9K

5.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,182 ¥7,901

$1,062 ¥7,097

11.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.35

3.28%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$265 31.9%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 42.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$218 26.2%

Shantou

$214 31% 1.6% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$115 13.9%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 1.4% $1.6

Eating Out

Xiamen

$86 10.4%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 77.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 25.5% $16

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 85.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Xiamen versus $298 in Shantou. 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 11% higher in Xiamen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Xiamen versus $24.00 in Shantou. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Xiamen vs $214 in Shantou – so Shantou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $831 in Xiamen, $692 in Shantou – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,246 per month in Xiamen and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 2% more in Xiamen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Xiamen and $24.00 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 $831 in Xiamen and $692 in Shantou, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Xiamen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.