Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jinan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $634 a month against $1,107 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
Learn more

Jinan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,107

/mo nomad

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jinan

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

A single person spends $1,107 per month in Shenzhen vs $634 in Jinan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,107
Jinan $634

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,055 in Jinan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,708
Jinan $1,055

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,475 in Jinan, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Jinan $1,475

Shenzhen costs about 74% more than Jinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Jinan are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 17% lower, Jinan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.46

$2.51 ¥16.71

46.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.72 ¥198

$24.44 ¥163

21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ¥35.35

$4.94 ¥32.92

7.29%

Cappuccino

$3.49 ¥23.28

$2.66 ¥17.73

31.20%

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

$0.53 ¥3.53

$0.44 ¥2.91

20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.21 ¥1.40

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.92

$0.94 ¥6.25

58.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.89

$1.48 ¥9.90

50.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.63 ¥10.86

-1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.43 ¥9.50

13.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.23 ¥8.23

-7.32%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.07 ¥7.12

54.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.20 ¥141

$11.73 ¥78.2

80.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.88

$3.25 ¥21.67

5.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 ¥96.8

$9.87 ¥65.8

47.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥15.51

$1.38 ¥9.18

68.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$1.06 ¥7.10

58.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.24

$1.37 ¥9.11

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.97

$1.11 ¥7.38

35.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.63 ¥4.19

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$0.69 ¥4.57

85.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.53 ¥3.55

16.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.63 ¥4.17

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.42

$3.81 ¥25.41

15.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 ¥79.6

$9.82 ¥65.5

21.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$0.67 ¥4.50

47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.32 ¥8.81

30.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.29 ¥1.92

58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.06 ¥120

$8.98 ¥59.9

101.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$1.62 ¥10.78

-6.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.27 ¥1.81

51.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.32 ¥48.80

$4.37 ¥29.11

67.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$1.32 ¥8.83

3.03%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

0.20%

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

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$15.1K ¥100.4K

21.10%

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

$64.7 ¥431

$74.0 ¥493

-12.62%

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

$10.17 ¥67.9

$6.98 ¥46.57

45.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.54 ¥110

$5.02 ¥33.47

229.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.21 ¥301

$23.78 ¥159

90.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.54 ¥130

$8.63 ¥57.5

126.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ¥51.3

$5.13 ¥34.20

49.90%

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

$534 ¥3,560

$221 ¥1,472

141.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.4K

$20.2K ¥134.6K

99.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ¥370

$34.35 ¥229

61.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 ¥261

$38.59 ¥257

1.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ¥481

$70.8 ¥472

1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ¥546

$69.9 ¥466

17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 ¥5,008

$254 ¥1,697

195.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 ¥3,098

$144 ¥962

221.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 ¥12.0K

$595 ¥3,969

201.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 ¥5,560

$371 ¥2,475

124.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.3K ¥88.4K

$2,484 ¥16.6K

433.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,601 ¥44.0K

$1,306 ¥8,710

405.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$983 ¥6,556

96.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.13

7.35%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Jinan: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$465 42%

Jinan

$144 22.8% 68.9% $320

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 22.8%

Jinan

$184 29% 27.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.1%

Jinan

$96 15.2% 14.1% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$103 9.3%

Jinan

$77 12.1% 24.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.3%

Jinan

$86 13.6% 5.9% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$61 5.5%

Jinan

$34 5.4% 43.8% $27

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Jinan

$13 2.1% 44.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Shenzhen versus $254 in Jinan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 97% higher in Shenzhen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shenzhen versus $24 in Jinan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $184 – making Jinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jinan

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

9,202,432

💱 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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Shenzhen Jinan 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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 Jinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 74% more than Jinan, 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 $1,660 per month in Shenzhen and $951 in Jinan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $751 in Shenzhen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shenzhen and $24 in Jinan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,107 in Shenzhen and $634 in Jinan. That makes Jinan about 43% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jinan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Shenzhen at $1,107. In Jinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jinan – 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 Jinan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.