Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $736 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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 Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Mudanjiang

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Shenzhen vs $736 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,131
Mudanjiang $736

A couple spends around $1,741 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,158 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,741
Mudanjiang $1,158

A family of three spends $2,352 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,581 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,352
Mudanjiang $1,581

Shenzhen costs about 54% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Mudanjiang are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 17% lower, Mudanjiang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$3.05 ¥20.43

22.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$13.31 ¥89.0

124.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$6.08 ¥40.66

-11.84%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.74 ¥18.30

23.72%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.43 ¥2.86

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.91

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.05 ¥7.04

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.14 ¥14.33

1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.80 ¥12.03

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.64 ¥10.98

-0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.92 ¥6.17

23.91%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.61 ¥10.74

10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$13.47 ¥90.1

57.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.43 ¥22.92

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.05 ¥73.9

32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.85 ¥12.36

20.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.31 ¥8.79

22.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.50 ¥10.00

26.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.25 ¥8.39

12.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.74 ¥4.97

40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.89 ¥5.96

40.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.63 ¥4.24

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.59 ¥3.97

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.64 ¥24.34

20.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.69 ¥78.2

0.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.81 ¥5.45

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.60 ¥10.70

14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.07

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$17.77 ¥119

27.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.46 ¥9.78

4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.36 ¥2.39

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.01 ¥46.88

-0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.30 ¥8.67

3.85%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.7K ¥131.6K

0.60%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

4.73%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$58.2 ¥389

7.93%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.46 ¥56.6

21.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.09 ¥74.2

47.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.44 ¥277

19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.68 ¥98.1

17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.22 ¥41.61

22.83%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$416 ¥2,782

26.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

38.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$43.96 ¥294

25.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$33.55 ¥224

19.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$75.6 ¥506

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$73.4 ¥491

26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$303 ¥2,028

154.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$183 ¥1,223

161.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$631 ¥4,218

214.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$381 ¥2,545

123.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,508 ¥23.5K

288.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,975 ¥13.2K

204.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mudanjiang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Mudanjiang

$183 24.9% 61.7% $295

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Mudanjiang

$209 28.4% 16.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Mudanjiang

$102 13.9% 12.9% $15

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Mudanjiang

$88 12% 13.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.6% 13% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Mudanjiang

$54 7.3% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Mudanjiang

$22 3% 21.3% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Shenzhen versus $303 in Mudanjiang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shenzhen versus $13.00 in Mudanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $209 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

965,154

💱 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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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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 54% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Shenzhen and $1,103 in Mudanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,131 in Shenzhen and $736 in Mudanjiang. That's a gap of about 54%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Mudanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mudanjiang – 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 Mudanjiang. 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.