Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanjing: $846 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$846

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $846 in Nanjing versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Nanjing $846
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,333 in Nanjing versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Nanjing $1,333
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,820 in Nanjing versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Nanjing $1,820
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Nanjing costs roughly 25% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanjing 38% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ¥25.50

$3.73 ¥24.93

2.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.14 ¥148

$29.92 ¥200

-26.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 ¥32.03

$5.36 ¥35.83

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$3.39 ¥22.66

-10.32%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.55 ¥3.67

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.35 ¥2.36

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$1.47 ¥9.84

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥14.68

$2.17 ¥14.50

1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ¥14.48

$1.59 ¥10.64

36.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 ¥14.30

$1.63 ¥10.88

31.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$1.14 ¥7.59

-20.18%

Eggs

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.78 ¥11.89

-26.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 ¥71.4

$21.25 ¥142

-49.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.36

$3.45 ¥23.10

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 ¥57.8

$14.69 ¥98.2

-41.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ¥13.78

$2.23 ¥14.94

-7.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$1.61 ¥10.73

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.99

$1.89 ¥12.67

-5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.37

$1.41 ¥9.41

-21.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$1.04 ¥6.95

-14.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.46

$1.25 ¥8.36

-22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$0.56 ¥3.76

69.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.61 ¥4.05

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.17

$4.38 ¥29.30

-14.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$11.72 ¥78.4

14.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$0.98 ¥6.53

-3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ¥9.98

$1.83 ¥12.21

-18.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.57 ¥3.82

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.18 ¥202

$22.57 ¥151

33.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.52 ¥10.15

10.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.38 ¥2.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 ¥59.5

$6.99 ¥46.71

27.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$1.35 ¥9.02

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

$19.2K ¥128.3K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-3.11%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-3.09%

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

$55.5 ¥371

$62.8 ¥420

-11.62%

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

$7.92 ¥53.0

$10.25 ¥68.5

-22.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.09 ¥47.42

$16.36 ¥109

-56.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.56 ¥191

$49.52 ¥331

-42.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.80 ¥233

$17.32 ¥116

100.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 ¥39.03

$7.64 ¥51.1

-23.56%

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

$1,508 ¥10.1K

$526 ¥3,519

186.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K ¥152.0K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-7.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.37 ¥290

$55.1 ¥369

-21.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.01 ¥227

$39.99 ¥267

-14.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥431

$72.3 ¥484

-10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ¥592

$92.7 ¥620

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$771 ¥5,158

-32.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,974

$478 ¥3,195

-38.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,467

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-43.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,732

$852 ¥5,696

-34.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,105 ¥34.1K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-62.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 ¥21.0K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-47.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,410 ¥9,430

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-19.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

3.35

2.09%

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

Last update for Nanjing: 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

Nanjing

$295 34.9%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 61.9% $183

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$205 24.2%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 22.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$104 12.3%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 12.9% $13

Eating Out

Nanjing

$96 11.4%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 5.7% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$70 8.3%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 26.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$40 4.8%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 61% $25

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 19.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Nanjing and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 24% 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: $22.00 in Nanjing vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $251 per month, with Nanjing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

Same time as Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

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

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Nanjing Shenzhen 1,150 km ≈ 2 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

Nanjing vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanjing is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $524 in Nanjing versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nanjing – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $30.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $846 per month in Nanjing versus $1,131 in Shenzhen – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $846 in Nanjing versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nanjing but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Nanjing 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 Nanjing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.