Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Shenyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Shenyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $708 in Shenyang.

Shenzhen $1,117
Shenyang $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,046 in Shenyang.

Shenzhen $1,714
Shenyang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,384 in Shenyang.

Shenzhen $2,310
Shenyang $1,384

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 58% more expensive than in Shenyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Shenyang 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.97 ¥19.75

23.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$22.45 ¥149

30.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$5.40 ¥35.94

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.50 ¥16.67

34.40%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.11

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.39 ¥2.57

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.86 ¥5.73

72.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.89 ¥12.55

13.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$2.00 ¥13.33

-23.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$2.38 ¥15.82

-31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.08 ¥7.19

5.56%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.07 ¥7.10

63.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.93 ¥79.4

20.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.79 ¥11.92

25.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.17 ¥7.76

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.47 ¥9.77

-3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.62 ¥4.12

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.64 ¥4.29

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.69 ¥24.56

20.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$16.70 ¥111

-27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.68 ¥4.54

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.13 ¥7.53

61.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.29 ¥1.91

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$14.87 ¥99.0

21.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.38 ¥9.16

10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.31 ¥2.07

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$3.06 ¥20.34

140.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.30 ¥8.65

1.54%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$19.4K ¥128.9K

-0.75%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.5K ¥116.1K

3.41%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$76.2 ¥507

-14.97%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$15.50 ¥103

-36.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$14.86 ¥98.9

10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$22.51 ¥150

117.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$10.68 ¥71.1

58.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$5.88 ¥39.10

23.81%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$549 ¥3,655

-2.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$21.9K ¥145.6K

11.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$42.33 ¥282

31.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$60.9 ¥405

20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$70.1 ¥467

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$226 ¥1,501

233.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$228 ¥1,516

106.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$538 ¥3,583

243.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$344 ¥2,290

141.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$1,814 ¥12.1K

626.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,102 ¥7,333

488.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,082 ¥7,201

62.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

4.37

-23.34%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Shenyang

$228 32.2% 51.6% $243

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7% 35.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Shenyang

$78 * 11% 34.2% $40

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Shenyang

$81 11.5% 19.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Shenyang

$107 15.1% 17% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Shenyang

$34 4.8% 46.1% $29

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Shenyang

$19 2.7% 18.9% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $226 in Shenyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Shenyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $161 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

9,199,601

💱 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 Shenyang 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shenyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 63% 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 $226 in Shenyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shenyang – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $708 in Shenyang – Shenyang is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $708 in Shenyang versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Expats usually find Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.