Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
Learn more

Yulin Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Yulin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $699 in Yulin.

Shenzhen $1,117
Yulin $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,123 in Yulin.

Shenzhen $1,714
Yulin $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,548 in Yulin.

Shenzhen $2,310
Yulin $1,548

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 60% more expensive than in Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Yulin 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.27 ¥15.10

61.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$16.19 ¥108

81.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$4.90 ¥32.60

7.76%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.14 ¥14.27

57.01%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.40 ¥2.67

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.24 ¥1.58

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.70 ¥11.30

-12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.23 ¥14.81

-4.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.84 ¥12.24

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.64 ¥10.95

-0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.98 ¥6.55

16.33%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.69 ¥11.22

3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$12.16 ¥80.9

70.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.60 ¥23.94

-5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.61 ¥77.3

24.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.73 ¥11.49

30.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.33 ¥8.82

21.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.49 ¥9.91

30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.23 ¥8.20

15.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.76 ¥5.07

42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.99 ¥6.61

29.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.68 ¥4.53

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.56 ¥3.72

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.46 ¥23.03

28.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.34 ¥68.8

16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.81 ¥5.37

13.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.42 ¥9.44

28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.05

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$19.78 ¥132

-8.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.44 ¥9.57

6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.37 ¥2.48

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$7.94 ¥52.9

-7.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.41 ¥9.35

-6.38%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$17.2K ¥114.4K

11.84%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

1.11%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$57.2 ¥380

13.33%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$8.96 ¥59.6

10.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.40 ¥75.9

43.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$41.11 ¥274

19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$16.85 ¥112

0.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.49 ¥43.21

12.17%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$421 ¥2,803

27.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

50.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$43.04 ¥286

29.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$32.41 ¥216

25.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$74.7 ¥497

-2.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$75.1 ¥500

24.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$329 ¥2,186

129.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$162 ¥1,081

189.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$613 ¥4,079

201.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$363 ¥2,415

128.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,146 ¥20.9K

319.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,915 ¥12.7K

238.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$592 ¥3,939

197.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Yulin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Yulin

$162 23.3% 65.5% $308

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Yulin

$205 29.3% 17.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Yulin

$101 14.5% 14.4% $17

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Yulin

$74 10.6% 26.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Yulin

$78 11.1% 14.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Yulin

$54 7.7% 14.8% $9.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Yulin

$24 3.5% 4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $329 in Yulin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $16 in Yulin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $205 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,700,000

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shenzhen Yulin 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Yulin

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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yulin wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yulin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $329 in Yulin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 9% less than in Yulin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $421 in Yulin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $699 in Yulin versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yulin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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