Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Xuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Xuzhou: $598 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Xuzhou
Learn more

Xuzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Xuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Xuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $598 in Xuzhou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Xuzhou $598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $977 in Xuzhou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Xuzhou $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,356 in Xuzhou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Xuzhou $1,356

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 89% more expensive than in Xuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Xuzhou 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.30 ¥15.37

62.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$14.27 ¥95.4

109.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.92 ¥32.87

8.94%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.31 ¥15.47

46.75%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.49 ¥3.31

12.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.25 ¥1.65

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.50 ¥10.06

-2.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.46 ¥9.73

48.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.97 ¥13.17

-19.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$2.17 ¥14.52

-24.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.58 ¥3.88

96.55%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.19 ¥7.98

49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$10.64 ¥71.1

99.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$1.45 ¥9.70

137.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$8.04 ¥53.8

82.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.89 ¥12.66

17.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.07 ¥7.13

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$0.93 ¥6.22

103.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.00 ¥6.67

41.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.51 ¥3.38

103.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.64 ¥4.29

95.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.70 ¥4.69

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.41 ¥2.74

48.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.06 ¥20.47

43.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$5.89 ¥39.41

98.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.44 ¥2.93

122.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$0.92 ¥6.13

98.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.92

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.23 ¥122

23.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.46 ¥9.78

4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.38 ¥2.54

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$9.08 ¥60.7

-23.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.21 ¥8.10

11.57%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$18.1K ¥121.0K

9.37%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$15.2K ¥101.5K

18.03%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$45.91 ¥307

36.70%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$7.84 ¥52.4

30.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$3.64 ¥24.37

349.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$40.99 ¥274

20.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.73 ¥98.5

17.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.33 ¥35.65

43.34%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$412 ¥2,756

27.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$22.4K ¥150.0K

9.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$29.56 ¥198

86.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$22.62 ¥151

76.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$44.35 ¥297

63.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$51.6 ¥345

79.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$224 ¥1,501

243.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$163 ¥1,090

193.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$443 ¥2,961

347.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$382 ¥2,557

122.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$2,142 ¥14.3K

537.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,692 ¥11.3K

255.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$945 ¥6,316

85.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.42

-2.05%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Xuzhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Xuzhou

$163 27.2% 65.9% $315

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Xuzhou

$163 27.2% 35.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Xuzhou

$67 11.1% 43.1% $50

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Xuzhou

$74 12.4% 27.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Xuzhou

$57 9.6% 35.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Xuzhou

$52 8.6% 20.3% $13

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Xuzhou

$23 3.8% 19.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $224 in Xuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 85% 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 $14.00 in Xuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $163 per month, with Xuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Xuzhou

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

9,083,790

💱 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 Xuzhou 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Xuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $224 in Xuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Xuzhou runs roughly 24% 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 $412 in Xuzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $598 in Xuzhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xuzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Xuzhou 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 Xuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.