Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shenzhen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shenzhen

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 5.6% more expensive than Shenzhen without rent, and 15.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 11.8% more expensive than Shenzhen without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 ¥33.30

$3.27 ¥22.80

45.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.92 ¥251

$28.04 ¥196

28.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥38.01

$5.07 ¥35.40

7.50%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥23.89

$3.18 ¥22.19

7.55%

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

$0.58 ¥4.07

$0.51 ¥3.59

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.35

$0.28 ¥1.95

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ¥9.91

$1.27 ¥8.86

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ¥19.56

$2.75 ¥19.19

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.59

$1.79 ¥12.51

16.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥12.92

$2.05 ¥14.28

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.66

$1.23 ¥8.57

-10.57%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥11.20

$1.84 ¥12.85

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.28 ¥107

$12.95 ¥90.4

17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 ¥21.53

$4.07 ¥28.39

-24.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ¥75.8

$13.38 ¥93.4

-18.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥16.30

$1.81 ¥12.63

28.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.35

$1.41 ¥9.87

25.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥12.42

$1.74 ¥12.18

2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥10.28

$1.34 ¥9.38

9.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.64

$1.05 ¥7.35

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥8.10

$1.42 ¥9.88

-18.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.37

$0.75 ¥5.22

-16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.17

$0.57 ¥3.97

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ¥19.35

$3.44 ¥24.03

-19.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 ¥80.2

$13.46 ¥93.9

-14.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.86

$0.95 ¥6.60

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥11.27

$1.85 ¥12.89

-12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ¥2.79

$0.44 ¥3.07

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 ¥238

$22.17 ¥155

53.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.98

$1.63 ¥11.38

40.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.63

$0.34 ¥2.39

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 ¥58.1

$6.91 ¥48.22

20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥8.00

$1.18 ¥8.26

-2.54%

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

$19.7K ¥137.2K

$23.3K ¥162.6K

-15.65%

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

$18.3K ¥127.5K

$20.7K ¥144.5K

-11.80%

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

$52.1 ¥363

$67.2 ¥469

-22.54%

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

$8.79 ¥61.3

$8.23 ¥57.5

6.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.87 ¥96.8

$12.94 ¥90.3

7.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.42 ¥324

$49.27 ¥344

-5.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.78 ¥138

$17.48 ¥122

13.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.28 ¥57.8

$6.91 ¥48.20

19.83%

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

$1,297 ¥9,056

$462 ¥3,227

180.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K ¥215.7K

$20.9K ¥145.9K

47.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ¥417

$48.87 ¥341

22.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥265

$30.17 ¥211

26.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ¥541

$77.0 ¥538

0.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 ¥693

$80.5 ¥562

23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 ¥6,591

$742 ¥5,179

27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,981

$406 ¥2,835

40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,460 ¥17.2K

$1,654 ¥11.5K

48.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 ¥8,401

$901 ¥6,292

33.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.2K ¥99.5K

$13.5K ¥93.9K

5.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,080 ¥49.4K

$5,966 ¥41.6K

18.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 ¥11.4K

$1,588 ¥11.1K

2.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

4.04

-11.39%

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

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 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

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