Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jiaozuo and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
Learn more

Jiaozuo Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Jiaozuo versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Jiaozuo $674
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,059 in Jiaozuo versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Jiaozuo $1,059
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,445 in Jiaozuo versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Jiaozuo $1,445
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Jiaozuo costs roughly 40% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jiaozuo 50% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ¥12.16

$3.73 ¥24.93

-51.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ¥110

$29.92 ¥200

-45.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ¥30.70

$5.36 ¥35.83

-14.37%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥16.57

$3.39 ¥22.66

-26.84%

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

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.55 ¥3.67

-23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.35 ¥2.36

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ¥5.71

$1.47 ¥9.84

-42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.17 ¥14.50

-22.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ¥11.26

$1.59 ¥10.64

5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ¥10.60

$1.63 ¥10.88

-3.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.14 ¥7.59

-39.47%

Eggs

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.78 ¥11.89

-46.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 ¥56.4

$21.25 ¥142

-60.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 ¥16.11

$3.45 ¥23.10

-30.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 ¥55.2

$14.69 ¥98.2

-43.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.23 ¥14.94

-47.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.59

$1.61 ¥10.73

-39.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$1.89 ¥12.67

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$1.41 ¥9.41

-59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.55

$1.04 ¥6.95

-49.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.25 ¥8.36

-62.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ¥2.66

$0.56 ¥3.76

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.86

$0.61 ¥4.05

19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 ¥17.00

$4.38 ¥29.30

-42.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 ¥65.5

$11.72 ¥78.4

-16.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥4.58

$0.98 ¥6.53

-30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.50

$1.83 ¥12.21

10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.57 ¥3.82

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.86 ¥119

$22.57 ¥151

-20.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$1.52 ¥10.15

0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.38 ¥2.55

-18.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 ¥24.48

$6.99 ¥46.71

-47.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$1.35 ¥9.02

-27.41%

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

$19.2K ¥128.3K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-3.06%

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

$17.6K ¥117.4K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-2.01%

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

$60.1 ¥402

$62.8 ¥420

-4.27%

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

$7.17 ¥47.97

$10.25 ¥68.5

-30.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 ¥61.3

$16.36 ¥109

-44.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ¥386

$49.52 ¥331

16.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$17.32 ¥116

-13.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.94 ¥26.37

$7.64 ¥51.1

-48.43%

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

$177 ¥1,182

$526 ¥3,519

-66.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ¥144.2K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-12.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.93 ¥294

$55.1 ¥369

-20.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.16 ¥228

$39.99 ¥267

-14.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥490

$72.3 ¥484

1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.3 ¥437

$92.7 ¥620

-29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 ¥1,982

$771 ¥5,158

-61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,238

$478 ¥3,195

-61.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ¥4,158

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-68.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,541

$852 ¥5,696

-55.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 ¥17.3K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-81.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,965 ¥13.1K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-67.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 ¥3,786

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-67.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.35

-1.79%

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

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 158% $293

Groceries & Markets

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 58.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 20.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 16.9% $13

Eating Out

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 49% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 1.2% $0.8

Getting Around

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 27.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Jiaozuo and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 209% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16.00 in Jiaozuo vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $158 vs $251 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as Jiaozuo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,539,860

12,528,300

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jiaozuo Shenzhen 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jiaozuo
Shenzhen

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

Jiaozuo vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiaozuo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 209% lower in Shenzhen. 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: $296 in Jiaozuo versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in Jiaozuo versus $526 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.