Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $716 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhanjiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $716 in Zhanjiang.

Shenzhen $1,138
Zhanjiang $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,136 in Zhanjiang.

Shenzhen $1,750
Zhanjiang $1,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,556 in Zhanjiang.

Shenzhen $2,362
Zhanjiang $1,556

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 59% more expensive than in Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Zhanjiang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.59 ¥17.33

41.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$19.75 ¥132

49.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$5.20 ¥34.77

1.54%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$2.82 ¥18.83

15.96%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.51 ¥3.42

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.34 ¥2.29

-2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.21 ¥8.11

26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$1.96 ¥13.13

9.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.82 ¥12.15

-10.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.76 ¥11.75

-7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.83 ¥5.54

31.33%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.62 ¥10.85

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$15.01 ¥100

42.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.19 ¥21.30

8.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.84 ¥65.8

44.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.85 ¥12.36

26.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.28 ¥8.59

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.55 ¥10.37

25.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.27 ¥8.47

15.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.73 ¥4.88

47.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.83 ¥5.55

50.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.57 ¥3.83

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.58 ¥3.87

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.58 ¥23.93

23.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.68 ¥71.4

9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.97 ¥6.48

1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.79 ¥11.95

-2.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.27 ¥1.79

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$16.11 ¥108

38.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.65 ¥11.00

-12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.31 ¥2.08

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$6.12 ¥40.91

14.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.09 ¥7.32

22.94%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

9.44%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$15.7K ¥104.8K

15.84%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$56.1 ¥375

15.96%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.19 ¥61.5

11.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$12.15 ¥81.3

33.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$40.07 ¥268

21.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$13.31 ¥89.0

29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.99 ¥40.05

25.38%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$373 ¥2,493

44.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$16.4K ¥109.5K

48.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$46.39 ¥310

18.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$34.55 ¥231

15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$70.3 ¥470

3.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$74.8 ¥500

24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$310 ¥2,073

147.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$173 ¥1,154

181.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$577 ¥3,858

243.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$343 ¥2,295

153.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,337 ¥22.3K

312.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,866 ¥12.5K

226.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Zhanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Zhanjiang

$173 24.1% 64.5% $313

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Zhanjiang

$208 29.1% 17.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Zhanjiang

$102 14.2% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.7% 16.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.8% 15.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Zhanjiang

$52 7.3% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Zhanjiang

$20 2.9% 27.7% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $310 in Zhanjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $20.00 in Zhanjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $208 per month, with Zhanjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,612,000

💱 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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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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhanjiang wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhanjiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,706 in Shenzhen and $1,074 in Zhanjiang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Shenzhen versus $310 in Zhanjiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhanjiang runs roughly 38% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $373 in Zhanjiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $716 in Zhanjiang versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhanjiang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhanjiang 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 Zhanjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.