CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Taiyuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Taiyuan

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Shenzhen is 14.9% more expensive than Taiyuan without rent, and 61.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Shenzhen is 24% more expensive than Taiyuan without rent, and 66.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.27 ยฅ22.80
$2.06 ยฅ14.38
58.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.04 ยฅ196
$20.51 ยฅ143
36.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.07 ยฅ35.40
$4.21 ยฅ29.37
20.43%
Cappuccino
$3.18 ยฅ22.19
$2.36 ยฅ16.50
34.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ยฅ3.59
$0.51 ยฅ3.56
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ยฅ1.95
$0.32 ยฅ2.24
-12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.27 ยฅ8.86
$1.27 ยฅ8.84
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 ยฅ19.19
$2.15 ยฅ15.00
27.91%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 ยฅ12.51
$1.35 ยฅ9.44
32.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 ยฅ14.28
$2.72 ยฅ18.97
-24.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 ยฅ8.57
$0.73 ยฅ5.09
68.49%
Eggs
$1.84 ยฅ12.85
$0.86 ยฅ6.02
113.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.95 ยฅ90.4
$14.19 ยฅ99.1
-8.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.07 ยฅ28.39
$2.74 ยฅ19.13
48.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.38 ยฅ93.4
$10.89 ยฅ76.0
22.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.81 ยฅ12.63
$2.05 ยฅ14.34
-11.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 ยฅ9.87
$1.37 ยฅ9.58
2.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.74 ยฅ12.18
$0.77 ยฅ5.35
125.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 ยฅ9.38
$1.06 ยฅ7.38
26.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 ยฅ7.35
$0.50 ยฅ3.48
110.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 ยฅ9.88
$0.44 ยฅ3.05
222.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ยฅ5.22
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
70.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ยฅ3.97
$0.44 ยฅ3.05
29.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 ยฅ24.03
$2.11 ยฅ14.72
63.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.46 ยฅ93.9
$7.20 ยฅ50.2
86.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ยฅ6.60
$0.72 ยฅ5.04
31.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ยฅ12.89
$1.42 ยฅ9.94
30.28%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ยฅ3.07
$0.29 ยฅ2.04
51.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.17 ยฅ155
$12.49 ยฅ87.2
77.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 ยฅ11.38
$1.09 ยฅ7.60
49.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ยฅ2.39
$0.23 ยฅ1.61
47.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.91 ยฅ48.22
$3.42 ยฅ23.85
102.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ยฅ8.26
$1.10 ยฅ7.67
7.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K ยฅ162.6K
$22.9K ยฅ159.7K
1.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K ยฅ144.5K
$20.2K ยฅ141.3K
2.27%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.2 ยฅ469
$69.0 ยฅ481
-2.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.23 ยฅ57.5
$9.94 ยฅ69.4
-17.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.94 ยฅ90.3
$11.91 ยฅ83.1
8.65%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.27 ยฅ344
$41.26 ยฅ288
19.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.48 ยฅ122
$8.15 ยฅ56.9
114.48%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 ยฅ48.20
$5.46 ยฅ38.12
26.56%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ยฅ3,227
$413 ยฅ2,885
11.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.9K ยฅ145.9K
$4,147 ยฅ28.9K
404.15%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.87 ยฅ341
$23.86 ยฅ167
104.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.17 ยฅ211
$48.54 ยฅ339
-37.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ยฅ538
$69.1 ยฅ482
11.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.5 ยฅ562
$64.1 ยฅ447
25.68%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$742 ยฅ5,179
$209 ยฅ1,457
255.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$406 ยฅ2,835
$106 ยฅ742
281.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,654 ยฅ11.5K
$506 ยฅ3,532
226.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$901 ยฅ6,292
$245 ยฅ1,707
268.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.5K ยฅ93.9K
$4,584 ยฅ32.0K
193.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,966 ยฅ41.6K
$1,194 ยฅ8,331
399.82%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Shenzhen
Taiyuan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 ยฅ11.1K
$911 ยฅ6,358
74.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
3.83
5.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shenzhen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.