Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $639 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
Learn more

Jiaxing Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jiaxing

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

A single person spends $1,096 per month in Shenzhen vs $639 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,096
Jiaxing $639

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,071 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,708
Jiaxing $1,071

A family of three spends $2,320 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,503 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,320
Jiaxing $1,503

Shenzhen costs about 71% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Jiaxing are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 19% lower, Jiaxing 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.22

$2.93 ¥19.54

29.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$22.50 ¥150

36.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.28

$4.49 ¥29.88

14.70%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.40

$3.20 ¥21.32

5.00%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.48 ¥3.21

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$0.31 ¥2.08

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$0.72 ¥4.79

106.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$2.22 ¥14.77

-2.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.91 ¥12.73

-15.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.96 ¥13.03

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$0.62 ¥4.12

83.87%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$1.87 ¥12.47

-11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$7.41 ¥49.35

185.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.50

$3.34 ¥22.23

5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$7.55 ¥50.3

93.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$1.67 ¥11.12

40.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.16 ¥7.74

39.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.01

$0.94 ¥6.26

107.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$0.70 ¥4.66

117.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.54 ¥3.60

101.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.80 ¥5.34

61.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.50 ¥3.35

24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.54 ¥3.61

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.59

$5.12 ¥34.07

-10.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.47 ¥76.4

5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.36

$0.78 ¥5.20

21.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.33 ¥8.86

27.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.24 ¥1.61

79.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$16.36 ¥109

8.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.18 ¥7.89

30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.40 ¥2.66

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.07

$7.44 ¥49.57

-4.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.23 ¥8.18

7.32%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

0.17%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

-4.92%

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

$63.3 ¥422

$37.71 ¥251

67.86%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$11.82 ¥78.7

-16.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$5.40 ¥35.94

203.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$37.62 ¥251

27.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥112

$7.69 ¥51.2

119.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$5.14 ¥34.23

48.44%

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

$540 ¥3,596

$474 ¥3,158

13.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.2K

$12.8K ¥85.0K

215.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥374

$32.87 ¥219

70.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$19.87 ¥132

104.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥478

$65.3 ¥435

9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$41.05 ¥273

98.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,090

$281 ¥1,870

172.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,023

$184 ¥1,225

146.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$748 ¥4,980

139.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,588

$451 ¥3,005

85.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$3,796 ¥25.3K

255.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$2,064 ¥13.7K

221.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$764 ¥5,090

142.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

12.00%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Jiaxing

$184 28.8% 59.5% $270

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Jiaxing

$174 27.2% 31% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Jiaxing

$72 11.2% 36.4% $41

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Jiaxing

$87 13.5% 14.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Jiaxing

$55 8.6% 38.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Jiaxing

$48 7.5% 24.4% $15

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Jiaxing

$21 3.2% 11.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $764 in Shenzhen versus $281 in Jiaxing. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Shenzhen versus $23 in Jiaxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $174 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,563,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Shenzhen Jiaxing 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Jiaxing

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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 71% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,644 per month in Shenzhen and $959 in Jiaxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $764 in Shenzhen.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Jiaxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $540 per month in Shenzhen and $474 in Jiaxing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Shenzhen at $1,096. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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