Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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 Jining
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Jining Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $675 in Jining.

Shenzhen $1,138
Jining $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,012 in Jining.

Shenzhen $1,750
Jining $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,349 in Jining.

Shenzhen $2,362
Jining $1,349

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 68% more expensive than in Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Jining 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.19 ¥14.62

67.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$16.48 ¥110

78.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.37 ¥29.21

20.82%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$2.51 ¥16.75

30.28%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.51 ¥3.41

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.31 ¥2.08

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.93 ¥6.21

64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$1.61 ¥10.80

33.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.70 ¥11.35

-4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.18 ¥7.89

37.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.94 ¥6.27

15.96%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$0.96 ¥6.43

78.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$8.16 ¥54.5

162.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$2.87 ¥19.17

20.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$10.26 ¥68.6

38.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.45 ¥9.68

61.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$0.99 ¥6.61

59.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.06 ¥7.06

83.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.17 ¥7.84

25.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.61 ¥4.09

77.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.73 ¥4.89

71.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.66 ¥4.42

-10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.76 ¥5.08

-22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$5.31 ¥35.50

-16.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$9.86 ¥65.9

18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.95 ¥6.32

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.61 ¥10.74

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.31 ¥2.08

103.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$18.21 ¥122

22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.04 ¥6.94

39.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.29 ¥1.93

34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$3.60 ¥24.10

95.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.31 ¥8.77

2.29%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

0.66%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$17.6K ¥117.7K

3.14%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$60.8 ¥407

7.04%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.92 ¥46.30

48.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$10.47 ¥70.0

54.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$42.31 ¥283

15.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$15.20 ¥102

13.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$4.43 ¥29.64

69.53%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$386 ¥2,578

39.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$7,427 ¥49.7K

226.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$43.12 ¥288

27.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$33.56 ¥224

19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$72.6 ¥485

-0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$69.8 ¥466

33.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$281 ¥1,880

173.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$182 ¥1,214

167.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$391 ¥2,615

406.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$269 ¥1,796

223.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

290.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,958 ¥13.1K

211.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$592 ¥3,957

193.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.29

1.82%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Jining

$182 26.9% 62.6% $304

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Jining

$172 25.5% 31.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Jining

$99 14.6% 16% $19

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Jining

$72 10.6% 28% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Jining

$78 11.6% 14.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Jining

$51 7.6% 19.8% $13

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Jining

$22 3.3% 22.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $281 in Jining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 193% 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: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $16.00 in Jining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $172 per month, with Jining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,357,897

💱 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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Shenzhen Jining 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jining is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 193% 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: $768 in Shenzhen versus $281 in Jining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jining runs roughly 22% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $386 in Jining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Jining versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jining but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Jining 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 Jining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.