Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $555 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Yiwu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Shenzhen versus $555 in Yiwu.

Shenzhen $1,096
Yiwu $555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,708 in Shenzhen versus $1,299 in Yiwu.

Shenzhen $1,708
Yiwu $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,320 in Shenzhen versus $2,044 in Yiwu.

Shenzhen $2,320
Yiwu $2,044

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 98% more expensive than in Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 19% lower, Yiwu 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.21

$2.87 ¥19.12

32.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$29.67 ¥198

3.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.27

$5.17 ¥34.42

-0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.40

$3.26 ¥21.72

3.07%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.56 ¥3.75

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.16

$0.36 ¥2.42

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.18 ¥7.88

26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$2.55 ¥16.98

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.84 ¥12.22

-11.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.98 ¥13.17

-21.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$0.99 ¥6.58

15.15%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$1.85 ¥12.34

-10.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$17.77 ¥118

18.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.49

$3.24 ¥21.55

8.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$13.21 ¥88.0

10.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$2.20 ¥14.64

6.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.75 ¥11.65

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$2.07 ¥13.75

-5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.75 ¥11.65

-13.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.79 ¥5.26

37.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.98 ¥6.56

31.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.68 ¥4.50

-8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.64 ¥4.24

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.58

$4.15 ¥27.66

10.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.99 ¥73.2

9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.35

$0.90 ¥5.98

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.61 ¥10.74

4.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.44 ¥2.90

-2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.38 ¥9.20

11.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.43 ¥2.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.05

$8.77 ¥58.4

-19.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.23 ¥8.17

7.32%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$19.4K ¥128.9K

-0.06%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$18.6K ¥123.8K

-1.31%

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

$63.3 ¥421

$58.4 ¥389

8.39%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$8.58 ¥57.2

15.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$10.50 ¥69.9

55.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$15.30 ¥102

214.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥112

$11.33 ¥75.5

49.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$6.96 ¥46.36

9.63%

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

$540 ¥3,595

$1,484 ¥9,880

-63.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.2K

$45.8K ¥304.8K

-12.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$54.7 ¥364

2.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$37.44 ¥249

8.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥477

$75.1 ¥500

-4.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$74.7 ¥497

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,089

$452 ¥3,009

69.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,022

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$1,067 ¥7,103

68.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,587

$743 ¥4,950

12.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$11.9K ¥79.0K

13.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$2,919 ¥19.4K

127.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$748 ¥4,982

148.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.32

1.20%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Yiwu

$241 43.5% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Yiwu

$109 19.6% 3.2% $3.6

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Yiwu

$92 16.7% 9% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Yiwu

$77 14% 13.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 53.9% $34

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Yiwu

$5.3 * 1% 77.2% $18

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 $764 in Shenzhen and $452 in Yiwu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Yiwu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $241 per month, with Yiwu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Yiwu 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yiwu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $452 in Yiwu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $540 in Shenzhen versus $1,484 in Yiwu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yiwu – a meal for two runs $30 versus $31 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $555 in Yiwu versus $1,096 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Yiwu but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yiwu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

It comes down to priorities – Yiwu wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.