Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Nanchang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $650 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
Learn more

Nanchang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Nanchang

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $650 in Nanchang, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Nanchang $650

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,055 in Nanchang, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Nanchang $1,055

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,460 in Nanchang, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Nanchang $1,460

Shenzhen costs about 72% more than Nanchang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shenzhen and Nanchang are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Nanchang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.35 ¥15.64

55.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$18.12 ¥121

62.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$4.82 ¥32.09

9.54%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.60 ¥17.27

29.23%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.88

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.25 ¥1.65

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.33 ¥8.88

11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.88 ¥12.53

13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$2.05 ¥13.65

-24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$2.43 ¥16.16

-32.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.89 ¥5.93

28.09%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.68 ¥11.19

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.27 ¥88.3

56.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.91 ¥26.01

-12.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.89 ¥79.1

21.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.98 ¥13.20

13.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.08 ¥7.21

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.93 ¥12.86

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.85 ¥12.34

-23.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.84 ¥5.60

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$1.18 ¥7.83

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.64 ¥4.28

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.44 ¥2.91

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$2.94 ¥19.54

50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$12.48 ¥83.1

-3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.73 ¥4.85

26.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.46 ¥9.71

25.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.26 ¥1.74

69.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$15.27 ¥102

18.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.21 ¥8.05

26.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.29 ¥1.91

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$7.35 ¥48.89

0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.30 ¥8.68

1.54%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-2.80%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.3K ¥115.3K

4.14%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$35.06 ¥233

84.74%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$8.91 ¥59.3

11.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$13.40 ¥89.2

22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$42.60 ¥283

14.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$19.11 ¥127

-11.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.20 ¥41.26

17.42%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$325 ¥2,164

65.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$17.0K ¥113.2K

43.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$36.85 ¥245

51.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$22.79 ¥152

77.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$87.7 ¥584

-16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$59.5 ¥396

57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$224 ¥1,493

235.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$121 ¥802

290.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$448 ¥2,983

312.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$251 ¥1,672

230.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$2,001 ¥13.3K

558.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,615 ¥10.7K

301.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$741 ¥4,930

137.92%

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 Nanchang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Nanchang

$121 18.5% 74.4% $350

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Nanchang

$228 35% 8.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Nanchang

$93 14.3% 21.4% $25

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Nanchang

$78 11.9% 23.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Nanchang

$57 8.8% 37% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Nanchang

$55 8.5% 13.4% $8.5

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Nanchang

$19 2.9% 18.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $224 in Nanchang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $18 in Nanchang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $228 – making Nanchang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

5,042,566

💱 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 Nanchang 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
Nanchang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Nanchang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 72% more than Nanchang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $976 in Nanchang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $224 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $650 in Nanchang. That makes Nanchang about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Nanchang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nanchang, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Shenzhen at $1,117. In Nanchang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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