Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $514 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $514 in Jiangmen.

Shenzhen $1,117
Jiangmen $514

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,001 in Jiangmen.

Shenzhen $1,714
Jiangmen $1,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,489 in Jiangmen.

Shenzhen $2,310
Jiangmen $1,489

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 117% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Jiangmen 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$3.39 ¥22.51

7.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$30.47 ¥203

-3.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$5.23 ¥34.77

0.96%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$2.20 ¥14.60

52.73%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.86

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.29 ¥1.90

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.88 ¥5.84

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.52 ¥10.12

40.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.61 ¥10.73

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.64 ¥10.90

-0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.08 ¥7.19

5.56%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.78 ¥11.83

-1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$21.25 ¥141

-2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$2.27 ¥15.11

50.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$13.68 ¥90.9

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$2.14 ¥14.22

5.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$0.86 ¥5.72

88.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.19 ¥7.91

63.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.44 ¥9.56

-1.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.69 ¥4.60

56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$0.95 ¥6.32

34.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.31 ¥2.06

93.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.54 ¥3.58

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$3.05 ¥20.27

45.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$11.94 ¥79.3

1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.70 ¥4.64

31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.81 ¥12.06

1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.47 ¥3.09

-6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.44 ¥9.55

6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.38 ¥2.53

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$7.33 ¥48.69

0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.35 ¥8.97

-2.22%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

-2.57%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.0K ¥113.2K

5.98%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$49.14 ¥327

31.81%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$8.37 ¥55.6

18.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$12.52 ¥83.2

30.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$30.39 ¥202

61.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$4.52 ¥30.04

275.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$6.40 ¥42.50

13.75%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$246 ¥1,634

118.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$7,413 ¥49.3K

229.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$30.30 ¥201

83.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$40.44 ¥269

0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$73.7 ¥490

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$45.73 ¥304

105.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$458 ¥3,040

303.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$274 ¥1,819

203.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$6,218 ¥41.3K

112.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,273 ¥8,457

409.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$584 ¥3,880

201.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Jiangmen

$231 44.9% 7.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Jiangmen

$86 16.7% 27.7% $33

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Jiangmen

$79 15.5% 21.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Jiangmen

$70 13.6% 23.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 32% $20

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Jiangmen

$5.2 * 1% 77.8% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Jiangmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $231, with Jiangmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,448,871

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Jiangmen 100 km

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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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $514 in Jiangmen, so Jiangmen is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $246 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shenzhen – a meal for two runs $29 versus $30 in Jiangmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

It comes down to priorities – Jiangmen wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.