Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $779 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
Learn more

Jiujiang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Jiujiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $779 in Jiujiang.

Shenzhen $1,117
Jiujiang $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,243 in Jiujiang.

Shenzhen $1,714
Jiujiang $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,707 in Jiujiang.

Shenzhen $2,310
Jiujiang $1,707

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 43% more expensive than in Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Jiujiang 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.57 ¥17.12

42.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$22.11 ¥147

32.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$4.42 ¥29.43

19.46%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.35

$2.76 ¥18.36

21.74%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.50 ¥3.32

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.27 ¥1.77

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.02 ¥6.80

45.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.97 ¥13.12

8.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.61 ¥10.74

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.97 ¥13.08

-17.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.82 ¥5.43

39.02%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.90 ¥12.63

-7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.82 ¥91.9

50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$4.80 ¥31.97

-28.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.30 ¥75.2

27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.32 ¥15.42

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.73 ¥11.54

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.70 ¥11.32

14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.53 ¥10.21

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.86 ¥5.74

25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.99 ¥6.60

29.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.78 ¥5.19

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.71 ¥4.74

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$2.92 ¥19.44

51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.82 ¥78.7

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.94 ¥6.25

-2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.94 ¥12.89

-5.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.32 ¥2.12

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$15.89 ¥106

13.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.19 ¥7.90

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.32 ¥2.15

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$3.59 ¥23.87

105.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.34 ¥8.92

-1.49%

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

$19.2K ¥128.0K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

0.61%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$16.6K ¥110.5K

8.69%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$48.35 ¥322

33.96%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$9.24 ¥61.5

7.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.84 ¥78.8

38.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$35.99 ¥240

36.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$12.93 ¥86.0

31.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.49 ¥43.21

12.17%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$244 ¥1,625

119.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$8,750 ¥58.2K

178.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$90.7 ¥604

-38.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.26 ¥221

21.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$64.4 ¥429

13.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$96.0 ¥639

-2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$311 ¥2,067

142.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$202 ¥1,346

132.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$663 ¥4,415

178.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$394 ¥2,619

110.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,031 ¥20.2K

335.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$2,011 ¥13.4K

222.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$607 ¥4,041

190.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.15

6.35%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Jiujiang

$202 26% 57% $268

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Jiujiang

$231 29.7% 7.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Jiujiang

$128 16.4% 8% $9.5

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Jiujiang

$79 10.2% 21.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Jiujiang

$69 8.9% 23.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Jiujiang

$49 6.3% 22.9% $15

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Jiujiang

$20 2.6% 14.6% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $311 in Jiujiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Jiujiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $231 per month, with Jiujiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,728,778

💱 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 Jiujiang 810 km ≈ 1 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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiujiang wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jiujiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $311 in Jiujiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiujiang – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $779 in Jiujiang – Jiujiang is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Jiujiang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Jiujiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.