Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Lianyungang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lianyungang: $751 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Lianyungang
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Lianyungang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Lianyungang

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Lianyungang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $751 in Lianyungang.

Shenzhen $1,138
Lianyungang $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,171 in Lianyungang.

Shenzhen $1,750
Lianyungang $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,591 in Lianyungang.

Shenzhen $2,362
Lianyungang $1,591

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 51% more expensive than in Lianyungang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Lianyungang 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.54

$3.07 ¥20.51

19.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$18.19 ¥122

61.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.29

$4.40 ¥29.41

20.00%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.84

$2.79 ¥18.68

17.20%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.53 ¥3.55

1.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.30 ¥2.00

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.06 ¥7.06

44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.56 ¥17.14

-16.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.98 ¥13.26

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.36 ¥9.09

19.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.98 ¥6.58

11.22%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.33 ¥8.92

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$16.33 ¥109

30.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.09

$4.21 ¥28.14

-18.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.91 ¥66.3

43.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.17 ¥7.82

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$0.57 ¥3.82

177.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.04

$0.93 ¥6.23

109.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$0.46 ¥3.10

219.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.67 ¥4.47

61.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.46 ¥3.10

171.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.29 ¥1.94

103.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.44 ¥2.92

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.48

$3.83 ¥25.60

15.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$14.87 ¥99.4

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.06 ¥7.12

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.56 ¥10.44

12.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.31 ¥2.10

103.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$16.00 ¥107

39.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.53 ¥10.20

-5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.41 ¥2.76

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$9.18 ¥61.4

-23.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.31 ¥8.76

2.29%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

1.82%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$16.3K ¥109.2K

11.20%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$69.3 ¥464

-6.10%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.81 ¥45.57

50.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$7.79 ¥52.1

107.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$46.04 ¥308

5.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$14.77 ¥98.8

16.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$6.26 ¥41.84

19.97%

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

$538 ¥3,597

$363 ¥2,427

48.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

37.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$37.72 ¥252

45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$36.61 ¥245

9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$74.8 ¥500

-3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥625

$88.6 ¥593

5.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,136

$295 ¥1,971

160.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,249

$191 ¥1,277

154.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$638 ¥4,268

210.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,814

$367 ¥2,451

137.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,476 ¥23.2K

295.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,794 ¥12.0K

239.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$593 ¥3,964

192.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.37

-0.59%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lianyungang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Lianyungang

$191 25.4% 60.7% $295

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Lianyungang

$205 27.3% 18.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Lianyungang

$107 14.2% 8.8% $10

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Lianyungang

$85 11.3% 14.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Lianyungang

$84 11.2% 8.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Lianyungang

$59 7.8% 8.2% $5.3

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Lianyungang

$21 2.8% 26.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $295 in Lianyungang. 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 $18.00 in Lianyungang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $205 per month, with Lianyungang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Lianyungang

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,393,914

💱 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 Lianyungang 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Lianyungang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lianyungang wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lianyungang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

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 $295 in Lianyungang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lianyungang runs roughly 39% 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 $363 in Lianyungang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $751 in Lianyungang versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lianyungang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Lianyungang 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 Lianyungang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.