Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Tabriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Tabriz: $409 a month against $831 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Tabriz
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Tabriz Living Index

Jump to prices

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$831

/mo nomad

Tabriz

🇮🇷 Iran

$409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xiamen and in Tabriz

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

A single person spends $831 per month in Xiamen vs $409 in Tabriz, rent included.

Xiamen $831
Tabriz $409

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Xiamen vs $689 in Tabriz, rent included.

Xiamen $1,338
Tabriz $689

A family of three spends $1,846 per month in Xiamen vs $968 in Tabriz, rent included.

Xiamen $1,846
Tabriz $968

Xiamen costs about 103% more than Tabriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xiamen and Tabriz are more affordable than the global median – Xiamen 38% lower, Tabriz 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.48

$3.06 $3.06

-4.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.99 ¥160

$15.10 $15.10

58.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 ¥35.36

$3.98 $3.98

32.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 $1.06

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$2.54 ¥17.01

$1.36 $1.36

86.76%

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

$0.49 ¥3.28

$0.59 $0.59

-16.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.62 $0.62

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.71

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$0.59 $0.59

159.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 ¥15.74

$0.37 $0.37

535.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$3.60 $3.60

-72.22%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.89

$0.91 $0.91

79.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 ¥80.9

$4.81 $4.81

151.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.40

$2.86 $2.86

-14.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$9.65 $9.65

24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 ¥16.91

$1.01 $1.01

150.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$1.32 $1.32

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$0.85 $0.85

95.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ¥13.36

$0.57 $0.57

250.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.53 $0.53

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$0.51 $0.51

245.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.42 $0.42

104.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.19 $0.19

163.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.58 $0.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 $0.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.53

$2.07 $2.07

48.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.33 ¥75.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.29

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.04

$0.09 $0.09

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 ¥80.0

$12.10 $12.10

-1.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.20

$0.41 $0.41

273.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.21 $0.21

47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 ¥49.26

$3.91 $3.91

88.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$0.09 $0.09

1300.00%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$73.4K $73.4K

-73.94%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$53.0K $53.0K

-66.67%

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

$44.38 ¥297

$14.19 $14.19

212.76%

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

$8.49 ¥56.8

$1.91 $1.91

344.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥69.4

$5.57 $5.57

86.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 ¥318

$14.36 $14.36

230.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 ¥71.2

$24.65 $24.65

-56.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 ¥67.9

$1.49 $1.49

581.88%

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

$491 ¥3,284

$60.6 $60.6

711.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$550 $550

4313.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.94 ¥260

$15.57 $15.57

150.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 ¥195

$10.66 $10.66

173.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥690

$75.3 $75.3

37.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 ¥568

$49.19 $49.19

72.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,375

$151 $151

134.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,771

$119 $119

121.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,623

$374 $374

124.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$248 $248

120.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,609 ¥57.6K

$860 $860

901.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,717 ¥31.5K

$837 $837

463.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,182 ¥7,901

$232 $232

408.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

22.5

-84.62%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tabriz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$265 31.9%

Tabriz

$119 29.2% 54.9% $146

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$218 26.2%

Tabriz

$111 27.2% 48.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$115 13.9%

Tabriz

$68 16.6% 41.2% $48

Eating Out

Xiamen

$86 10.4%

Tabriz

$58 14.1% 33.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Tabriz

$17 4.2% 74.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Tabriz

$22 5.3% 65.8% $42

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Tabriz

$14 3.4% 11.4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Xiamen versus $151 in Tabriz. 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 408% 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 $15.00 in Tabriz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $111 – making Tabriz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇮🇷 Tabriz

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

4 h 30 min behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

1,558,693

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Xiamen Tabriz 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
Tabriz

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 Tabriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiamen costs about 103% more than Tabriz, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,246 per month in Xiamen and $613 in Tabriz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Xiamen and $60.6 in Tabriz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Xiamen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $831 in Xiamen and $409 in Tabriz, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tabriz. 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.