Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $709 in Cixi.

Shenzhen $1,131
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Shenzhen $1,741
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Shenzhen $2,352
Cixi $1,542

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 59% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Cixi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.75 ¥18.38

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$21.47 ¥144

39.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.78 ¥31.99

12.13%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.98 ¥19.94

13.76%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.43 ¥2.88

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.94

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.94 ¥6.30

56.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.12 ¥14.19

2.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.87 ¥12.50

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.57 ¥10.48

3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.97 ¥6.51

17.53%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.54 ¥10.30

15.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$12.61 ¥84.3

68.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.12 ¥20.89

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$10.08 ¥67.4

45.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.81 ¥12.10

23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.25 ¥8.36

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.54 ¥10.30

22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.09 ¥7.29

29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.70 ¥4.65

48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.94 ¥6.30

32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.59 ¥3.96

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.54 ¥3.63

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.05 ¥20.39

43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$10.52 ¥70.3

11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.74 ¥4.93

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.64 ¥10.96

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.96

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$16.43 ¥110

37.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.43 ¥9.54

6.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.36 ¥2.38

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$6.57 ¥43.90

6.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.13 ¥7.54

19.47%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

3.51%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

2.79%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$45.68 ¥305

37.39%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.85 ¥65.8

4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.86 ¥79.3

37.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.22 ¥276

20.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$13.86 ¥92.7

24.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.82 ¥38.92

31.27%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$334 ¥2,231

57.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

48.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$42.93 ¥287

28.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$30.21 ¥202

32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$71.7 ¥479

0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$72.1 ¥482

28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$280 ¥1,875

175.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$190 ¥1,268

152.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$590 ¥3,942

236.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$358 ¥2,394

137.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,020 ¥20.2K

351.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$2,070 ¥13.8K

190.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.89

-13.88%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 60.3% $288

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 21.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 16.6% $19

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 17.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 24.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 26.4% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,829,488

💱 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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Shenzhen Cixi 1,110 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

Shenzhen vs Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,696 in Shenzhen and $1,064 in Cixi 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $709 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Shenzhen and Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.