Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
Learn more

Nantong Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Nantong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $748 in Nantong.

Shenzhen $1,117
Nantong $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,233 in Nantong.

Shenzhen $1,714
Nantong $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,719 in Nantong.

Shenzhen $2,310
Nantong $1,719

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 49% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Nantong 45% 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

$23.82 ¥159

23.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$4.44 ¥29.54

18.92%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.84 ¥18.90

18.31%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.65 ¥4.32

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.31 ¥2.04

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.73 ¥4.85

102.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.31 ¥15.35

-7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.58 ¥10.49

-2.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.53 ¥10.19

6.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.84 ¥5.57

35.71%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.76 ¥11.70

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$6.84 ¥45.54

203.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.66 ¥24.38

-6.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$10.04 ¥66.8

43.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.32 ¥15.46

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.35 ¥9.01

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.47 ¥9.79

31.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.42 ¥9.45

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.73 ¥4.86

47.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.93 ¥6.18

37.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.66 ¥4.40

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.51 ¥3.41

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.30 ¥21.94

34.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$9.20 ¥61.2

31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.79 ¥5.28

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.70 ¥11.34

7.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.21 ¥1.40

109.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$14.81 ¥98.6

21.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.89 ¥12.61

-19.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.39 ¥2.56

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$7.23 ¥48.09

1.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.16 ¥7.72

13.79%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$19.1K ¥127.3K

0.47%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

-2.10%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$47.68 ¥317

35.84%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$7.37 ¥49.03

34.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$15.00 ¥99.8

9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$114 ¥756

-56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$12.01 ¥79.9

41.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$7.34 ¥48.83

-0.82%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$204 ¥1,355

163.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$11.9K ¥78.9K

105.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$58.6 ¥390

-4.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$41.71 ¥278

-2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$64.6 ¥430

13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$108 ¥719

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$211 ¥1,402

257.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$142 ¥946

230.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$696 ¥4,630

165.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$354 ¥2,358

134.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

256.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

184.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,327 ¥8,828

32.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.5

-4.29%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Nantong

$142 19% 69.8% $328

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 27% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 3.7% $4.4

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 17.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 23.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 102% $65

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 16.7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $211 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $24 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

7,726,635

💱 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 Nantong 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $748 in Nantong, so Nantong is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Shenzhen, 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 $211 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $204 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Nantong 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.

Expats usually find Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.