Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $709 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Datong

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $709 in Datong versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Datong $709
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,127 in Datong versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Datong $1,127
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,545 in Datong versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Datong $1,545
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Datong costs roughly 36% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Datong 48% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.23

$3.66 ¥24.35

-25.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.65 ¥144

$29.39 ¥196

-26.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.15

$5.28 ¥35.17

-5.68%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.65

$3.36 ¥22.34

-12.20%

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

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.58 ¥3.84

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.77

$0.36 ¥2.37

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$1.48 ¥9.82

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.50

$2.14 ¥14.26

-5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.99

$1.54 ¥10.22

16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.28

$1.63 ¥10.84

-4.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.36

$1.14 ¥7.60

-15.79%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.75 ¥11.63

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 ¥87.1

$20.74 ¥138

-36.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.48

$3.41 ¥22.71

-5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.1

$14.42 ¥96.0

-30.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.01

$2.25 ¥14.96

-19.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$1.62 ¥10.79

-25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.98

$1.94 ¥12.88

-22.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.57

$1.42 ¥9.47

-19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.08 ¥7.20

-32.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.28 ¥8.52

-28.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.60 ¥3.97

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.56 ¥3.76

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ¥20.62

$4.43 ¥29.50

-30.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.40 ¥69.2

$12.08 ¥80.4

-13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.05

$0.92 ¥6.15

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.91

$1.83 ¥12.15

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.77

$0.44 ¥2.90

-38.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.53 ¥110

$18.05 ¥120

-8.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.53 ¥10.15

-7.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.41 ¥2.75

-14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 ¥44.57

$7.36 ¥48.98

-8.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$1.32 ¥8.77

-11.36%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

0.95%

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

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-4.92%

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

$45.68 ¥304

$64.8 ¥431

-29.47%

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

$9.63 ¥64.1

$9.90 ¥65.9

-2.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.68 ¥77.8

$16.40 ¥109

-28.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 ¥274

$48.95 ¥326

-15.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.73 ¥91.4

$16.95 ¥113

-19.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.87 ¥39.05

$7.28 ¥48.44

-19.37%

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

$337 ¥2,242

$537 ¥3,572

-37.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.2K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-30.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.28 ¥288

$55.7 ¥371

-22.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.52 ¥203

$40.56 ¥270

-24.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ¥480

$73.1 ¥486

-1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥484

$93.9 ¥625

-22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,821

$753 ¥5,010

-63.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,257

$471 ¥3,132

-59.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,955

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-67.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,383

$830 ¥5,525

-56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,019 ¥20.1K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-77.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 ¥13.4K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-68.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.35

16.12%

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

Last update for Datong: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Datong

$198 27.9%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 26% $51

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$189 26.6%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 149% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.9%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 20.4% $20

Eating Out

Datong

$84 11.8%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 20.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$67 9.5%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 35.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$53 7.5%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 19.9% $11

Getting Around

Datong

$21 2.9%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 12.6% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Datong and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Datong vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $249 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

Same time as Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Datong Shenzhen 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Datong vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,064 in Datong and $1,675 in Shenzhen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $274 in Datong versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Datong versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Datong versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Datong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.