Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $465 in Longyan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Longyan $465

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $754 in Longyan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Longyan $754

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,044 in Longyan, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Longyan $1,044

Shenzhen costs about 140% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Longyan are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Longyan 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$2.94 ¥19.51

24.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$22.79 ¥151

28.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$4.93 ¥32.77

7.10%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$2.29 ¥15.22

46.72%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.44 ¥2.91

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.29 ¥1.95

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.87 ¥5.76

70.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.63 ¥10.81

31.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$2.01 ¥13.33

-23.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.47 ¥9.75

10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.77 ¥5.12

48.05%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.52 ¥10.08

15.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$7.62 ¥50.7

172.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$2.19 ¥14.56

55.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$9.46 ¥62.9

52.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$1.84 ¥12.22

22.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.33 ¥8.87

21.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.78 ¥11.80

8.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.08 ¥7.21

31.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.91 ¥6.04

18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.01 ¥6.70

26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.47 ¥3.12

27.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.51 ¥3.41

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$3.44 ¥22.84

28.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$12.20 ¥81.1

-0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.77 ¥5.10

19.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.22 ¥8.13

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.15 ¥1.00

193.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.02 ¥6.78

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.51 ¥3.37

-19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$7.38 ¥49.03

-0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.33 ¥8.86

-0.75%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

-1.33%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$15.6K ¥103.7K

15.65%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$67.6 ¥449

-4.16%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$15.77 ¥105

-37.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$8.78 ¥58.4

86.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$4.39 ¥29.16

286.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$7.56 ¥50.3

-3.70%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$213 ¥1,417

151.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$11.9K ¥79.3K

104.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$29.53 ¥196

88.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$15.14 ¥101

167.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$73.7 ¥490

-0.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$98.6 ¥655

-4.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$370 ¥2,459

399.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,375 ¥9,136

371.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$492 ¥3,266

258.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Longyan

$179 38.6% 28% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Longyan

$98 21% 17.6% $21

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Longyan

$76 16.4% 24.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Longyan

$92 19.8% 1.2% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 76.2% $48

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Longyan

$4.2 * 0.9% 82.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $23 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $179 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,559,545

💱 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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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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen, $465 in Longyan – Longyan comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $697 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $23 in Longyan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

If budget matters most, go with Longyan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.