Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhangjiakou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,223 in Zhangjiakou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Zhangjiakou $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,670 in Zhangjiakou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Zhangjiakou $1,670

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 46% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Zhangjiakou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.82

$2.21 ¥14.72

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥199

$24.26 ¥161

23.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.67

$5.91 ¥39.37

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.56

$3.50 ¥23.30

-3.14%

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

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.50 ¥3.35

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.26 ¥1.72

34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$0.92 ¥6.14

59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.44

$1.69 ¥11.27

28.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.48 ¥9.86

7.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$2.21 ¥14.73

-26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.56

$1.06 ¥7.07

7.55%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.83

$1.06 ¥7.03

67.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥141

$15.23 ¥101

39.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.00

$2.98 ¥19.80

15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥97.8

$9.59 ¥63.8

53.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.87

$1.66 ¥11.02

34.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.69

$0.93 ¥6.16

73.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$1.76 ¥11.70

7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.37

$1.22 ¥8.10

15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$0.81 ¥5.37

28.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$0.57 ¥3.80

119.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.62 ¥4.13

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$0.74 ¥4.93

-17.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.17

$3.63 ¥24.17

20.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.0

$13.60 ¥90.5

-13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$1.07 ¥7.10

-8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$2.43 ¥16.16

-24.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.29 ¥1.90

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥150

$17.61 ¥117

28.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$1.08 ¥7.19

40.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.33 ¥2.17

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.50

$6.21 ¥41.37

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥8.98

$1.18 ¥7.83

14.41%

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

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

0.92%

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

$17.9K ¥119.2K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

5.23%

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

$62.8 ¥418

$95.7 ¥637

-34.41%

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

$10.25 ¥68.2

$6.22 ¥41.40

64.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$7.68 ¥51.1

113.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥330

$42.01 ¥280

17.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥115

$15.20 ¥101

13.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥50.8

$7.30 ¥48.57

4.66%

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

$526 ¥3,503

$342 ¥2,275

54.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.3K

$5,321 ¥35.4K

361.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥367

$44.73 ¥298

23.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥266

$28.35 ¥189

41.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥482

$96.5 ¥643

-25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥617

$60.0 ¥399

54.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,135

$294 ¥1,954

162.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,181

$182 ¥1,214

162.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$622 ¥4,142

218.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,671

$379 ¥2,523

124.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$3,446 ¥22.9K

295.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.0K

$1,966 ¥13.1K

205.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$382 ¥2,544

358.31%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5% 61.8% $296

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6% 14.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3% 11.7% $14

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4% 13.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1% 22.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3% 12.6% $8.2

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8% 24.1% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shenzhen vs $24 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $214 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,345,491

💱 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 Zhangjiakou 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiakou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 4.6 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $294 in Zhangjiakou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiakou runs roughly 22% 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 $342 in Zhangjiakou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangjiakou 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.

Expats usually find Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.