Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Liaocheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Liaocheng: $650 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Liaocheng
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Liaocheng Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Liaocheng

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Liaocheng

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Shenzhen vs $650 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,131
Liaocheng $650

A couple spends around $1,741 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,036 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,741
Liaocheng $1,036

A family of three spends $2,352 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,422 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,352
Liaocheng $1,422

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

Both Shenzhen and Liaocheng are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 17% lower, Liaocheng 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.56 ¥17.11

45.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$13.71 ¥91.7

118.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.89 ¥32.69

9.61%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$1.89 ¥12.66

79.37%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.37 ¥2.46

48.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.21 ¥1.40

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.79 ¥5.27

86.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.94 ¥12.94

11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.52 ¥10.17

4.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.41 ¥9.45

15.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.92 ¥6.18

23.91%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.08 ¥7.21

64.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.62 ¥77.7

82.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.91 ¥19.46

18.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.01 ¥73.6

33.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.39 ¥9.30

60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.00 ¥6.71

61.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.42 ¥9.52

33.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.13 ¥7.58

24.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.58 ¥3.85

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.74 ¥4.94

68.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.58 ¥3.85

-3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.63 ¥4.19

-3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$2.20 ¥14.71

99.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$9.84 ¥65.8

19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.72 ¥4.79

36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.35 ¥9.06

35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.94

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.03 ¥121

25.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.22 ¥8.13

24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.27 ¥1.82

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$4.56 ¥30.51

53.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.10 ¥7.38

22.73%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

0.15%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$14.9K ¥99.6K

20.24%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$45.39 ¥304

38.27%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$5.88 ¥39.31

74.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$5.15 ¥34.46

217.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.26 ¥276

20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.79 ¥98.9

17.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$4.43 ¥29.64

72.46%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$216 ¥1,444

143.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$19.9K ¥133.3K

23.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$34.21 ¥229

61.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$29.89 ¥200

33.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$70.7 ¥473

2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$59.1 ¥395

56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$304 ¥2,035

153.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$183 ¥1,224

161.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$639 ¥4,275

210.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$383 ¥2,563

122.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,543 ¥23.7K

285.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,302 ¥8,708

361.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$590 ¥3,945

196.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.13

7.03%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Liaocheng: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Liaocheng

$183 28.2% 61.7% $295

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Liaocheng

$183 28.2% 27.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Liaocheng

$87 13.4% 25.5% $30

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Liaocheng

$68 10.5% 33.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Liaocheng

$56 8.7% 36.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Liaocheng

$50 7.7% 22.6% $15

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Liaocheng

$22 3.4% 23% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Shenzhen versus $304 in Liaocheng. 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 197% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shenzhen versus $14.00 in Liaocheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $183 – making Liaocheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Liaocheng

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,230,000

💱 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 Liaocheng 1,560 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 Liaocheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shenzhen is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Shenzhen and $975 in Liaocheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liaocheng, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Liaocheng. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in Shenzhen and $216 in Liaocheng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Liaocheng, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Liaocheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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