Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Ningbo Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Ningbo

🙂 Solo nomad: Shenzhen is 7% cheaper than Ningbo without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shenzhen is 0.1% more expensive than Ningbo without rent, and 28.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.17 ¥22.75
$3.14 ¥22.55
0.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.46 ¥197
$24.13 ¥173
13.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.92 ¥35.32
$4.07 ¥29.17
20.88%
Cappuccino
$3.19 ¥22.91
$3.15 ¥22.6
1.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ¥3.69
$0.45 ¥3.23
13.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.98
$0.26 ¥1.85
7.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.21 ¥8.7
$0.93 ¥6.67
30.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 ¥19.42
$2.12 ¥15.2
27.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 ¥12.87
$2.06 ¥14.8
-13.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 ¥14.69
$2.74 ¥19.69
-25.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ¥8.75
$0.79 ¥5.66
54.43%
Eggs
$1.87 ¥13.4
$1.39 ¥9.96
34.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.74 ¥91.4
$20.65 ¥148
-38.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.84 ¥27.55
$4.77 ¥34.25
-19.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 ¥96.6
$12 ¥86.1
12.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 ¥13.06
$1.93 ¥13.86
-5.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 ¥10.56
$1.42 ¥10.2
3.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 ¥13.03
$2.29 ¥16.46
-20.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.4 ¥10.01
$1.15 ¥8.25
21.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 ¥7.85
$0.67 ¥4.78
62.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.43
$0.79 ¥5.63
83.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 ¥5.33
$0.59 ¥4.2
25.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.35
$0.57 ¥4.06
7.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.4 ¥24.37
$5.43 ¥38.95
-37.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.61 ¥90.5
$11.24 ¥80.6
12.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.9 ¥6.43
$1.1 ¥7.86
-18.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.9 ¥13.66
$1.98 ¥14.21
-4.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥3.09
$0.29 ¥2.09
48.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.34 ¥160
$16.49 ¥118
35.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 ¥12.3
$1.7 ¥12.16
0.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.5
$0.35 ¥2.55
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.74 ¥48.33
$7.23 ¥51.8
-6.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ¥8.04
$1.19 ¥8.5
-5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K ¥165.8K
$21.4K ¥153.3K
8.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K ¥145.2K
$19.4K ¥139.3K
4.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.1 ¥482
$64.7 ¥464
3.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.16 ¥58.6
$15.55 ¥112
-47.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.86 ¥92.2
$7.01 ¥50.3
83.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.3 ¥361
$21.86 ¥157
130.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.3 ¥124
$12.75 ¥91.4
35.69%
Cinema Ticket
$7.1 ¥50.9
$8.12 ¥58.2
-12.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$455 ¥3,267
$603 ¥4,325
-24.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.6K ¥147.8K
$15.5K ¥111.1K
33.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.43 ¥355
$42.38 ¥304
16.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.29 ¥217
$29.76 ¥213
1.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 ¥537
$70.3 ¥504
6.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.8 ¥558
$61.5 ¥441
26.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$728 ¥5,220
$376 ¥2,695
93.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$406 ¥2,915
$262 ¥1,880
55.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 ¥12.2K
$853 ¥6,119
99.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$907 ¥6,505
$485 ¥3,482
86.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.4K ¥88.6K
$4,862 ¥34.9K
154.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,786 ¥41.5K
$3,244 ¥23.3K
78.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shenzhen
Ningbo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,702 ¥12.2K
$848 ¥6,084
100.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
4.85
-16.70%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Ningbo: October 27, 2025

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