Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rui'an and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $714 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
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Rui'an Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Rui'an versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Rui'an $714
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Rui'an versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Rui'an $1,133
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,552 in Rui'an versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Rui'an $1,552
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Rui'an costs roughly 37% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rui'an 47% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ¥18.91

$3.73 ¥24.93

-24.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.42 ¥143

$29.92 ¥200

-28.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥32.91

$5.36 ¥35.83

-8.21%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥20.77

$3.39 ¥22.66

-8.26%

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

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.55 ¥3.67

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.35 ¥2.36

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.47 ¥9.84

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$2.17 ¥14.50

-5.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.39

$1.59 ¥10.64

16.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.63 ¥10.88

-1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$1.14 ¥7.59

-16.67%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.78 ¥11.89

-12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$21.25 ¥142

-39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.64

$3.45 ¥23.10

-6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 ¥67.7

$14.69 ¥98.2

-31.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.95

$2.23 ¥14.94

-19.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.03

$1.61 ¥10.73

-25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.32

$1.89 ¥12.67

-18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$1.41 ¥9.41

-19.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$1.04 ¥6.95

-33.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.25 ¥8.36

-26.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.56 ¥3.76

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.61 ¥4.05

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 ¥21.50

$4.38 ¥29.30

-26.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 ¥69.7

$11.72 ¥78.4

-11.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$0.98 ¥6.53

-24.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.04

$1.83 ¥12.21

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.57 ¥3.82

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.57 ¥111

$22.57 ¥151

-26.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$1.52 ¥10.15

-9.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.38 ¥2.55

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 ¥44.95

$6.99 ¥46.71

-3.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$1.35 ¥9.02

-16.30%

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

$19.4K ¥130.0K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-1.84%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-3.03%

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

$44.23 ¥296

$62.8 ¥420

-29.53%

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

$10.04 ¥67.1

$10.25 ¥68.5

-2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.61 ¥77.6

$16.36 ¥109

-29.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.34 ¥276

$49.52 ¥331

-16.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.91 ¥93.0

$17.32 ¥116

-19.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.77 ¥38.60

$7.64 ¥51.1

-24.48%

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

$341 ¥2,279

$526 ¥3,519

-35.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥110.6K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-32.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.27 ¥289

$55.1 ¥369

-21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 ¥203

$39.99 ¥267

-24.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ¥475

$72.3 ¥484

-1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ¥484

$92.7 ¥620

-21.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,839

$771 ¥5,158

-64.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,285

$478 ¥3,195

-59.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ¥4,010

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-69.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,418

$852 ¥5,696

-57.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 ¥20.4K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-77.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥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 Rui'an: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rui'an

$199 27.8%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 26.6% $53

Accommodation & Living

Rui'an

$192 26.9%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 149% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Rui'an

$98 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 20% $19

Eating Out

Rui'an

$86 12.1%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 18% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rui'an

$66 9.2%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 35.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Rui'an

$53 7.4%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 22.5% $12

Getting Around

Rui'an

$21 2.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 37% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $275 in Rui'an and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Rui'an vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $251 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Rui'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,600

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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Rui'an Shenzhen 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rui'an
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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

Rui'an vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rui'an wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rui'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,071 in Rui'an and $1,696 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: $275 in Rui'an versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rui'an – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $30.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $714 per month in Rui'an versus $1,131 in Shenzhen – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $714 in Rui'an versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an 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.

Safety-wise, Rui'an and Shenzhen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.