Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xiamen and in Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Xiamen versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Xiamen $832
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Xiamen versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Xiamen $1,337
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,842 in Xiamen versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Xiamen $1,842
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 26% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xiamen 39% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$3.66 ¥24.30

-19.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$29.39 ¥195

-19.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$5.28 ¥35.10

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.36 ¥22.30

-23.51%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.58 ¥3.84

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.36 ¥2.37

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.48 ¥9.80

2.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$2.14 ¥14.23

37.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.54 ¥10.20

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$1.63 ¥10.82

39.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.14 ¥7.59

-16.67%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$1.75 ¥11.61

-6.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$20.74 ¥138

-42.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$3.41 ¥22.67

-28.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$14.42 ¥95.8

-18.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$2.25 ¥14.93

14.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.62 ¥10.77

-8.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$1.94 ¥12.86

-13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$1.42 ¥9.45

40.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$1.08 ¥7.19

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$1.28 ¥8.50

41.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$0.60 ¥3.96

55.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.56 ¥3.75

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$4.43 ¥29.44

-34.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$12.08 ¥80.3

-5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$0.92 ¥6.14

-14.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$1.83 ¥12.12

-4.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.44 ¥2.90

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$18.05 ¥120

-33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$1.53 ¥10.13

-4.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.41 ¥2.74

-29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$7.36 ¥48.88

0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.32 ¥8.76

0.76%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.2K ¥127.7K

2.68%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

-2.65%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$64.8 ¥430

-33.26%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$9.90 ¥65.7

-12.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$16.40 ¥109

-36.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$48.95 ¥325

-3.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$16.95 ¥113

-39.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$7.28 ¥48.35

40.66%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$537 ¥3,565

-7.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$24.4K ¥162.1K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$55.7 ¥370

-29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$40.56 ¥269

-27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$73.1 ¥485

46.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$93.9 ¥623

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$753 ¥5,000

-53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$471 ¥3,126

-43.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-54.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$830 ¥5,514

-34.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$13.2K ¥87.6K

-34.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$6,479 ¥43.0K

-25.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-33.10%

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 24, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 77% $205

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 14.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 1.2% $1.4

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 16.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 6.3% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 46.2% $29

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 51.1% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $352 in Xiamen and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Xiamen vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $249 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiamen wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Xiamen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Xiamen runs roughly 34% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $496 in Xiamen versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. 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 Shenzhen, 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 26% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.