Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jieyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jieyang: $683 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jieyang
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Jieyang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Jieyang

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jieyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $683 in Jieyang.

Shenzhen $1,131
Jieyang $683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,078 in Jieyang.

Shenzhen $1,741
Jieyang $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,474 in Jieyang.

Shenzhen $2,352
Jieyang $1,474

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 66% more expensive than in Jieyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Jieyang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.04 ¥13.62

82.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$12.95 ¥86.6

131.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$3.79 ¥25.32

41.42%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.44 ¥16.32

38.93%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.47 ¥3.13

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.33 ¥2.19

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.91 ¥6.09

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.75 ¥11.67

24.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.47 ¥9.82

8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$2.38 ¥15.94

-31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.99 ¥6.64

15.15%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$0.89 ¥5.94

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.86 ¥79.3

79.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.43 ¥16.23

41.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.72 ¥78.3

25.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.95 ¥13.07

14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$0.69 ¥4.59

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.01 ¥6.78

87.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$2.04 ¥13.62

-30.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.97 ¥6.51

7.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.74 ¥11.62

-28.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.46 ¥3.08

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.51 ¥3.39

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$2.90 ¥19.41

51.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.06 ¥73.9

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.84 ¥5.62

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.75 ¥11.72

4.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.94

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.26 ¥122

23.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$0.93 ¥6.23

63.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.14 ¥0.94

171.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.26 ¥48.53

-3.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$0.93 ¥6.24

45.16%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$12.9K ¥86.4K

53.29%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$11.3K ¥75.9K

57.91%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$44.10 ¥295

42.31%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.85 ¥59.1

15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.15 ¥74.6

46.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.70 ¥279

18.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.70 ¥98.3

17.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.13 ¥41.01

24.63%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$490 ¥3,273

7.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

0.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$21.25 ¥142

159.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$29.23 ¥195

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$60.0 ¥401

20.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$87.6 ¥585

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$301 ¥2,014

156.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$185 ¥1,238

157.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$621 ¥4,153

219.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$378 ¥2,526

125.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,444 ¥23.0K

296.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,936 ¥12.9K

210.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$1,101 ¥7,360

59.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jieyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Jieyang

$185 27.1% 61.2% $293

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Jieyang

$201 29.5% 20% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Jieyang

$89 13.1% 23.9% $28

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Jieyang

$68 10% 33.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Jieyang

$64 9.4% 28.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Jieyang

$54 7.9% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Jieyang

$21 3.1% 25.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $301 in Jieyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $13.00 in Jieyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $201 per month, with Jieyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jieyang

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

5,877,025

💱 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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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 Jieyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jieyang wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jieyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Shenzhen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $771 in Shenzhen versus $301 in Jieyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,131 per month in Shenzhen versus $683 in Jieyang – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jieyang runs roughly 24% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $683 in Jieyang versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jieyang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Jieyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Jieyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.