Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Huai'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Huai'an: $712 a month against $1,138 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
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Huai'an
Learn more

Huai'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Huai'an

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Huai'an

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 Huai'an actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Shenzhen vs $712 in Huai'an, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,138
Huai'an $712

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,127 in Huai'an, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,750
Huai'an $1,127

A family of three spends $2,362 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,542 in Huai'an, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,362
Huai'an $1,542

Shenzhen costs about 60% more than Huai'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Huai'an are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 16% lower, Huai'an 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.84 ¥19.02

29.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$21.39 ¥143

37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.83 ¥32.31

9.32%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$3.09 ¥20.65

5.83%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.43 ¥2.90

25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.29 ¥1.96

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.88 ¥5.86

73.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.15 ¥14.37

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.79 ¥11.97

-9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.55 ¥10.33

4.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.94 ¥6.31

15.96%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.60 ¥10.67

6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$12.96 ¥86.7

65.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.15 ¥21.09

9.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$10.15 ¥67.9

40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.86 ¥12.43

25.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.26 ¥8.44

25.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.49 ¥9.97

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.11 ¥7.39

32.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.73 ¥4.89

47.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.90 ¥6.03

38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.56 ¥3.72

5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.50 ¥3.37

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.04 ¥20.33

45.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.38 ¥69.4

13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.81 ¥5.40

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.64 ¥11.00

6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.27 ¥1.79

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$16.42 ¥110

35.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.41 ¥9.43

2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.33 ¥2.19

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$6.75 ¥45.16

4.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.13 ¥7.54

18.58%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-1.03%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

7.05%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$44.97 ¥301

44.76%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.59 ¥64.1

6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$11.53 ¥77.1

40.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$41.25 ¥276

18.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$14.14 ¥94.5

21.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.85 ¥39.12

28.38%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$338 ¥2,262

59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$16.8K ¥112.6K

43.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$44.21 ¥296

24.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$29.84 ¥200

34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$70.8 ¥473

2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$72.0 ¥481

29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$276 ¥1,847

178.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$192 ¥1,283

153.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$598 ¥3,999

231.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$356 ¥2,379

144.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

362.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$2,044 ¥13.7K

198.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Huai'an: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Huai'an

$192 27% 60.5% $294

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Huai'an

$197 27.7% 21.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Huai'an

$98 13.7% 16.9% $20

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Huai'an

$86 12.1% 13.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Huai'an

$66 9.3% 27.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Huai'an

$53 7.4% 17% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Huai'an

$21 2.9% 27.1% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Shenzhen versus $276 in Huai'an. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Shenzhen versus $21.00 in Huai'an. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $197 – making Huai'an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Huai'an

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,799,889

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shenzhen Huai'an 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Huai'an

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

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

Yes – Shenzhen is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Shenzhen and $1,069 in Huai'an. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 27% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Shenzhen and $21.00 in Huai'an. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huai'an, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Huai'an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huai'an – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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