Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Nanning

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Nanning

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $737 in Nanning.

Shenzhen $1,117
Nanning $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,176 in Nanning.

Shenzhen $1,714
Nanning $1,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,615 in Nanning.

Shenzhen $2,310
Nanning $1,615

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 52% more expensive than in Nanning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Nanning 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.97 ¥19.73

23.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$20.42 ¥136

43.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$5.76 ¥38.31

-8.33%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.33 ¥15.51

44.21%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.56 ¥3.70

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.27 ¥1.78

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.88 ¥5.84

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.30 ¥15.29

-6.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$2.24 ¥14.91

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$2.23 ¥14.86

-26.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.13 ¥7.54

0.88%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.93 ¥12.85

-9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$10.30 ¥68.5

101.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.93 ¥26.14

-13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$17.63 ¥117

-18.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.89 ¥12.57

19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.31 ¥8.73

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.52 ¥10.11

27.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.68 ¥11.17

-15.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.97 ¥6.45

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$1.21 ¥8.05

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.57 ¥3.80

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.63 ¥4.22

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$4.07 ¥27.10

8.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$14.93 ¥99.3

-19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.93 ¥6.22

-1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.65 ¥10.96

10.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.50 ¥3.30

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$15.90 ¥106

13.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.37 ¥9.13

11.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.46 ¥3.09

-10.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$7.48 ¥49.76

-1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.30 ¥8.62

1.54%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$23.2K ¥154.6K

-17.25%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$13.2K ¥88.2K

36.22%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$33.66 ¥224

92.42%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$14.52 ¥96.6

-31.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$10.84 ¥72.2

51.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$76.0 ¥506

-35.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$7.43 ¥49.41

128.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.93 ¥46.14

5.05%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$304 ¥2,020

76.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$4,423 ¥29.4K

451.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$19.68 ¥131

183.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$29.48 ¥196

37.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$65.5 ¥436

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$72.4 ¥481

29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$251 ¥1,669

200.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$156 ¥1,036

202.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$388 ¥2,580

376.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$294 ¥1,959

181.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$3,516 ¥23.4K

275.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,577 ¥10.5K

310.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$667 ¥4,438

164.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.63

-7.71%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nanning: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Nanning

$156 21.1% 66.9% $315

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Nanning

$245 33.3% 1.5% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Nanning

$84 11.4% 28.9% $34

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Nanning

$81 11% 19.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Nanning

$59 8% 35.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Nanning

$90 12.2% 41.5% $26

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Nanning

$22 2.9% 7.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $251 in Nanning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $20 in Nanning for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $245 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Nanning

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,741,584

💱 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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Shenzhen Nanning 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Nanning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $737 in Nanning, so Nanning is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.6 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 $251 in Nanning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $304 in Nanning. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nanning – a meal for two runs $20 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Nanning 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 – Nanning wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.