Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Kharkiv

For one person, living costs are similar in Shenyang and in Kharkiv: $718 and $689 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
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Kharkiv Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenyang and in Kharkiv

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shenyang and in Kharkiv actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $718 per month in Shenyang vs $689 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Shenyang $718
Kharkiv $689

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Shenyang vs $1,063 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Shenyang $1,071
Kharkiv $1,063

A family of three spends $1,424 per month in Shenyang vs $1,437 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Shenyang $1,424
Kharkiv $1,437

Shenyang costs about 4% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shenyang and Kharkiv are more affordable than the global median – Shenyang 47% lower, Kharkiv 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.04

$6.79 ₴305

-55.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥148

$30.48 ₴1,368

-27.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.93

$4.97 ₴223

2.21%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥16.43

$1.66 ₴74.7

48.19%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$1.06 ₴47.37

-55.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.51 ₴22.77

-25.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.01 ₴45.48

-13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.15

$1.63 ₴73.0

11.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.65

$1.14 ₴51.2

65.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.43

$0.70 ₴31.33

251.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.24 ₴55.6

-12.90%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.73 ₴77.9

-40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 ₴379

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ₴184

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.0

$7.11 ₴319

68.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.41 ₴63.4

26.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$1.59 ₴71.2

-25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ₴75.2

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$2.13 ₴95.8

-28.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ₴31.74

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ₴23.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.07

$1.21 ₴54.2

-49.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$0.65 ₴29.10

-1.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$2.73 ₴122

38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥110

$4.56 ₴205

262.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.85 ₴38.07

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.26

$1.18 ₴52.8

-7.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$1.41 ₴63.4

-4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.34 ₴15.28

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.76

$2.19 ₴98.5

35.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$1.76 ₴78.9

-26.70%

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$29.7K ₴1.3M

-35.66%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$22.0K ₴986.7K

-16.68%

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

$75.4 ¥503

$95.2 ₴4,273

-20.81%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$6.22 ₴279

155.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.3

$7.22 ₴324

105.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$22.30 ₴1,001

-0.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.0

$13.81 ₴620

-21.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.69

$4.67 ₴210

30.41%

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

$539 ¥3,601

$281 ₴12.6K

92.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥141.9K

$2,685 ₴120.5K

691.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$55.6 ₴2,496

-23.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.27 ₴1,897

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥397

$92.0 ₴4,129

-35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥464

$103 ₴4,618

-32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,847

$239 ₴10.7K

15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,617

$147 ₴6,589

64.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,729

$521 ₴23.4K

7.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,621

$204 ₴9,136

92.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$1,057 ₴47.4K

114.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,732

$583 ₴26.2K

124.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,444

$525 ₴23.6K

112.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

17.89

-75.57%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kharkiv: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Kharkiv

$147 21.3% 39.4% $95

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Kharkiv

$163 23.7% 1.6% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Kharkiv

$109 15.8% 2.4% $2.5

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Kharkiv

$104 15.1% 29.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Kharkiv

$132 19.1% 70.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Kharkiv

$32 4.6% 8.2% $2.8

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Kharkiv

$3.1 * 0.5% 82% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Shenyang versus $239 in Kharkiv. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 112% higher in Shenyang, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Shenyang versus $30.00 in Kharkiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $163 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

5 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

1,447,652

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shenyang Kharkiv 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
Kharkiv

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

Shenyang vs Kharkiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang costs about 4% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,076 per month in Shenyang and $1,033 in Kharkiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Shenyang and $30.00 in Kharkiv. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Shenyang – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $718 in Shenyang and $689 in Kharkiv, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kharkiv costs $689 versus $718 in Shenyang. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kharkiv. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenyang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.