Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Nanning versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Nanning $737
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,176 in Nanning versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Nanning $1,176
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Nanning versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Nanning $1,615
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Nanning costs roughly 34% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanning 46% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.73

$3.66 ¥24.35

-18.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 ¥136

$29.39 ¥196

-30.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 ¥38.31

$5.28 ¥35.16

9.09%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ¥15.51

$3.36 ¥22.34

-30.65%

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

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.58 ¥3.84

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.36 ¥2.37

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$1.48 ¥9.82

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.29

$2.14 ¥14.26

7.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ¥14.91

$1.54 ¥10.22

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ¥14.86

$1.63 ¥10.84

36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.14 ¥7.60

-0.88%

Eggs

$1.93 ¥12.85

$1.75 ¥11.63

10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ¥68.5

$20.74 ¥138

-50.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 ¥26.14

$3.41 ¥22.71

15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥117

$14.42 ¥96.0

22.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.57

$2.25 ¥14.96

-16.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$1.62 ¥10.79

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$1.94 ¥12.88

-21.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$1.42 ¥9.47

18.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$1.08 ¥7.20

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.05

$1.28 ¥8.52

-5.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.60 ¥3.97

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$0.56 ¥3.75

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 ¥27.10

$4.43 ¥29.50

-8.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ¥99.3

$12.08 ¥80.4

23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$0.92 ¥6.15

1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$1.83 ¥12.15

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ¥3.30

$0.44 ¥2.90

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.90 ¥106

$18.05 ¥120

-11.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.53 ¥10.15

-10.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.41 ¥2.75

12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 ¥49.76

$7.36 ¥48.97

1.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.62

$1.32 ¥8.77

-1.52%

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

$23.2K ¥154.6K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

20.85%

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

$13.2K ¥88.2K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-26.59%

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

$33.66 ¥224

$64.8 ¥431

-48.03%

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

$14.52 ¥96.6

$9.90 ¥65.9

46.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.2

$16.40 ¥109

-33.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.0 ¥506

$48.95 ¥326

55.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ¥49.41

$16.95 ¥113

-56.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ¥46.14

$7.28 ¥48.44

-4.81%

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

$304 ¥2,020

$537 ¥3,572

-43.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,423 ¥29.4K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-81.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.68 ¥131

$55.7 ¥371

-64.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.48 ¥196

$40.56 ¥270

-27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 ¥436

$73.1 ¥486

-10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 ¥481

$93.9 ¥625

-22.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,669

$753 ¥5,009

-66.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ¥1,036

$471 ¥3,132

-66.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,580

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,959

$830 ¥5,524

-64.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,516 ¥23.4K

$13.2K ¥87.7K

-73.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,577 ¥10.5K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-75.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 ¥4,438

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-62.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

3.35

8.36%

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

Last update for Nanning: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanning

$245 33.3%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 1.5% $3.8

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$156 21.1%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 202% $315

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$90 12.2%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 29.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$84 11.4%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 40.7% $34

Eating Out

Nanning

$81 11%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 24.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 54.3% $32

Getting Around

Nanning

$22 2.9%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 8.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $20 in Nanning vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $249 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

Same time as Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

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

On the map

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Between locations

Nanning Shenzhen 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
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

Nanning vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $737 in Nanning and $1,117 in Shenzhen, so Nanning is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Nanning. 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: $251 in Nanning versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $304 in Nanning versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nanning – a meal for two runs $20 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Nanning is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Nanning wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.