Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $682 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Shijiazhuang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $682 in Shijiazhuang.

Shenzhen $1,131
Shijiazhuang $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,021 in Shijiazhuang.

Shenzhen $1,741
Shijiazhuang $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,359 in Shijiazhuang.

Shenzhen $2,352
Shijiazhuang $1,359

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 66% more expensive than in Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Shijiazhuang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$1.76 ¥11.80

111.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$18.64 ¥125

60.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.68 ¥37.97

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$3.27 ¥21.89

3.67%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.48 ¥3.19

14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.27 ¥1.82

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.78 ¥5.23

88.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.71 ¥11.42

26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.26 ¥8.44

26.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.16 ¥7.78

40.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.68 ¥4.53

67.65%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.29 ¥8.61

37.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$16.50 ¥110

28.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.63 ¥17.58

31.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$9.67 ¥64.7

51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.66 ¥11.10

34.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.23 ¥8.24

30.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$0.77 ¥5.17

145.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.19 ¥7.95

18.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.63 ¥4.21

65.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.62 ¥4.16

101.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.68 ¥4.56

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.43 ¥2.88

41.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.80 ¥25.39

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$3.83 ¥25.58

206.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.71 ¥4.78

38.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$0.77 ¥5.17

137.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$17.67 ¥118

27.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.23 ¥8.20

23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.37 ¥2.50

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$3.56 ¥23.81

96.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.24 ¥8.30

8.87%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

0.74%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.3K ¥116.0K

3.27%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$95.2 ¥637

-34.10%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$4.40 ¥29.42

132.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$6.60 ¥44.16

147.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$13.69 ¥91.5

261.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.08 ¥101

14.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.56 ¥37.19

37.41%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$369 ¥2,467

42.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$5,270 ¥35.2K

365.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$50.8 ¥339

8.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$26.12 ¥175

53.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$74.6 ¥499

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$52.8 ¥353

75.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$300 ¥2,006

157.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$184 ¥1,231

159.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$419 ¥2,802

373.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$279 ¥1,864

205.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$2,534 ¥16.9K

438.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,709 ¥11.4K

251.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$808 ¥5,400

116.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.31

1.21%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Shijiazhuang

$184 27% 61.5% $294

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3% 31.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5% 21.5% $25

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8% 20.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6% 18.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6% 61.7% $40

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 22.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $300 in Shijiazhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 117% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $19.00 in Shijiazhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $172 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Shijiazhuang 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shijiazhuang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 117% 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $300 in Shijiazhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shijiazhuang runs roughly 28% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $369 in Shijiazhuang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $682 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.