Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Tianjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Tianjin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $854 in Tianjin.

Shenzhen $1,117
Tianjin $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,361 in Tianjin.

Shenzhen $1,714
Tianjin $1,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,868 in Tianjin.

Shenzhen $2,310
Tianjin $1,868

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 31% more expensive than in Tianjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Tianjin 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$4.18 ¥27.77

-12.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$24.41 ¥162

20.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$5.85 ¥38.85

-9.74%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$4.06 ¥26.96

-17.24%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.15

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.28 ¥1.87

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$1.00 ¥6.62

48.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.76 ¥11.67

21.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.44 ¥9.56

6.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$2.34 ¥15.55

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.67 ¥11.09

-31.74%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.32 ¥8.80

32.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$14.78 ¥98.2

40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$3.74 ¥24.88

-8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$9.76 ¥64.9

47.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$1.64 ¥10.87

37.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.54 ¥10.21

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.76 ¥11.70

10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.18 ¥7.86

20.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.89 ¥5.93

21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.17 ¥7.76

9.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.68 ¥4.50

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.71 ¥4.71

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$5.40 ¥35.89

-17.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$13.65 ¥90.7

-11.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.03 ¥6.87

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$2.55 ¥16.93

-28.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.06

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$8.82 ¥58.6

104.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.70 ¥11.27

-10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.38 ¥2.54

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$6.34 ¥42.15

16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.26 ¥8.39

4.76%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

0.40%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.9K ¥119.1K

0.66%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$93.1 ¥619

-30.44%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$6.38 ¥42.38

55.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$7.71 ¥51.3

112.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$17.02 ¥113

187.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$10.54 ¥70.1

60.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$7.56 ¥50.2

-3.70%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$1,293 ¥8,593

-58.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$56.1 ¥373

-0.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$28.58 ¥190

41.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$111 ¥740

-34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$139 ¥923

-32.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$362 ¥2,402

108.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$213 ¥1,416

120.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$868 ¥5,767

112.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$462 ¥3,072

79.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$4,773 ¥31.7K

176.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$2,240 ¥14.9K

189.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,173 ¥7,793

50.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.54

-5.37%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Tianjin

$213 24.9% 54.7% $258

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Tianjin

$226 26.5% 9.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Tianjin

$151 17.7% 27.3% $32

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Tianjin

$111 13% 10.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Tianjin

$107 12.6% 17.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Tianjin

$32 3.8% 49.4% $31

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Tianjin

$14 1.6% 41.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $362 in Tianjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $24 in Tianjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $226 per month, with Tianjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

13,866,009

💱 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 Tianjin 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min 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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tianjin wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tianjin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% 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 $362 in Tianjin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tianjin runs roughly 51% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $1,293 in Tianjin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Expats usually find Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.