Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Linyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $589 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
Learn more

Linyi Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Linyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $589 in Linyi.

Shenzhen $1,117
Linyi $589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $940 in Linyi.

Shenzhen $1,714
Linyi $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,291 in Linyi.

Shenzhen $2,310
Linyi $1,291

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 90% more expensive than in Linyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Linyi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.34 ¥15.55

56.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$24.86 ¥165

18.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$4.81 ¥32.04

9.77%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.65 ¥17.62

26.79%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.10

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.21 ¥1.39

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.91 ¥6.08

62.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.03 ¥13.48

5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.51 ¥10.08

1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.45 ¥9.63

12.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.43 ¥2.84

165.12%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.06 ¥7.06

65.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$8.97 ¥59.7

131.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$1.81 ¥12.07

88.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.21 ¥74.6

28.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.14 ¥7.57

97.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.01 ¥6.74

60.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.01 ¥6.75

92.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$0.94 ¥6.25

51.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.44 ¥2.92

145.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.38 ¥2.55

236.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.57 ¥3.76

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.61 ¥4.09

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$4.48 ¥29.78

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$9.95 ¥66.2

21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.71 ¥4.75

29.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.33 ¥8.84

37.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.06

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.03 ¥6.82

48.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.25 ¥1.66

64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$4.44 ¥29.54

65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.17 ¥7.76

12.82%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$16.5K ¥109.6K

16.77%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$15.1K ¥100.6K

19.32%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$72.2 ¥480

-10.28%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$4.70 ¥31.25

110.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$5.05 ¥33.61

224.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$53.7 ¥357

-8.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$26.38 ¥176

-35.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$5.13 ¥34.12

41.91%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$213 ¥1,417

152.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$10.7K ¥71.1K

128.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$22.15 ¥147

151.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$22.68 ¥151

78.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$69.8 ¥464

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$70.8 ¥471

32.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$212 ¥1,409

255.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$116 ¥774

304.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$499 ¥3,322

270.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$209 ¥1,392

296.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$1,501 ¥9,985

778.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$980 ¥6,519

561.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$785 ¥5,222

124.62%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Linyi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Linyi

$116 19.8% 75.3% $354

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Linyi

$164 27.8% 34.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Linyi

$83 14.2% 29.5% $35

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Linyi

$76 12.9% 24.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Linyi

$82 13.9% 10% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Linyi

$64 10.9% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Linyi

$3.5 * 0.6% 85% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $212 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $25 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $164 per month, with Linyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Linyi

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,710,000

💱 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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Between locations

Shenzhen Linyi 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.2 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 $212 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $589 in Linyi – Linyi is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $589 in Linyi versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Linyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Linyi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Linyi wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.