CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Shenzhen Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Shenzhen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Nanjing is 11.2% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 19.9% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Nanjing is 10.9% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 25% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.80 ยฅ19.58
$3.27 ยฅ22.80
-14.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.53 ยฅ157
$28.04 ยฅ196
-19.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.79 ยฅ33.40
$5.07 ยฅ35.40
-5.52%
Cappuccino
$3.10 ยฅ21.63
$3.18 ยฅ22.19
-2.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ยฅ2.87
$0.51 ยฅ3.59
-19.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 ยฅ1.66
$0.28 ยฅ1.95
-14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.82 ยฅ5.72
$1.27 ยฅ8.86
-35.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ยฅ14.96
$2.75 ยฅ19.19
-22.18%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 ยฅ16.15
$1.79 ยฅ12.51
29.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.11 ยฅ14.75
$2.05 ยฅ14.28
2.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 ยฅ5.37
$1.23 ยฅ8.57
-37.40%
Eggs
$1.49 ยฅ10.41
$1.84 ยฅ12.85
-19.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.34 ยฅ65.2
$12.95 ยฅ90.4
-27.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.79 ยฅ19.48
$4.07 ยฅ28.39
-31.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.14 ยฅ63.8
$13.38 ยฅ93.4
-31.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 ยฅ14.98
$1.81 ยฅ12.63
18.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 ยฅ9.95
$1.41 ยฅ9.87
1.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.65 ยฅ11.54
$1.74 ยฅ12.18
-5.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
$1.34 ยฅ9.38
-14.18%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 ยฅ6.59
$1.05 ยฅ7.35
-10.48%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ยฅ6.42
$1.42 ยฅ9.88
-35.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 ยฅ5.70
$0.75 ยฅ5.22
9.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ยฅ4.00
$0.57 ยฅ3.97
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.42 ยฅ23.88
$3.44 ยฅ24.03
-0.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.49 ยฅ101
$13.46 ยฅ93.9
7.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 ยฅ6.45
$0.95 ยฅ6.60
-3.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ยฅ10.37
$1.85 ยฅ12.89
-19.46%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 ยฅ1.87
$0.44 ยฅ3.07
-38.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.12 ยฅ196
$22.17 ยฅ155
26.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 ยฅ10.44
$1.63 ยฅ11.38
-7.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ยฅ2.67
$0.34 ยฅ2.39
11.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.38 ยฅ58.5
$6.91 ยฅ48.22
21.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ยฅ7.87
$1.18 ยฅ8.26
-4.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K ยฅ117.0K
$23.3K ยฅ162.6K
-28.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.2K ยฅ99.1K
$20.7K ยฅ144.5K
-31.41%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.75 ยฅ291
$67.2 ยฅ469
-37.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.81 ยฅ75.4
$8.23 ยฅ57.5
31.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.01 ยฅ76.8
$12.94 ยฅ90.3
-14.91%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.12 ยฅ182
$49.27 ยฅ344
-46.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.23 ยฅ204
$17.48 ยฅ122
67.22%
Cinema Ticket
$5.49 ยฅ38.29
$6.91 ยฅ48.20
-20.55%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$398 ยฅ2,775
$462 ยฅ3,227
-13.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.6K ยฅ129.6K
$20.9K ยฅ145.9K
-11.22%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.09 ยฅ301
$48.87 ยฅ341
-11.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.10 ยฅ231
$30.17 ยฅ211
9.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.4 ยฅ470
$77.0 ยฅ538
-12.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.2 ยฅ573
$80.5 ยฅ562
2.04%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$426 ยฅ2,976
$742 ยฅ5,179
-42.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$307 ยฅ2,140
$406 ยฅ2,835
-24.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$903 ยฅ6,302
$1,654 ยฅ11.5K
-45.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$558 ยฅ3,892
$901 ยฅ6,292
-38.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,713 ยฅ39.9K
$13.5K ยฅ93.9K
-57.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,224 ยฅ22.5K
$5,966 ยฅ41.6K
-45.96%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Nanjing
Shenzhen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,218 ยฅ8,502
$1,588 ยฅ11.1K
-23.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.87
4.04
-4.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nanjing: January 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.