Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhenjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $702 a month against $1,131 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
Learn more

Zhenjiang Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhenjiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $702 in Zhenjiang.

Shenzhen $1,131
Zhenjiang $702

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,190 in Zhenjiang.

Shenzhen $1,741
Zhenjiang $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,677 in Zhenjiang.

Shenzhen $2,352
Zhenjiang $1,677

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 61% more expensive than in Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Zhenjiang 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$3.05 ¥20.36

22.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$30.20 ¥202

-0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.53 ¥30.29

18.32%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.64 ¥17.63

28.41%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.63 ¥4.18

-12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.38 ¥2.57

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.22 ¥8.13

20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.21 ¥14.81

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.86 ¥12.44

-14.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.47 ¥9.80

10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.88 ¥5.89

29.55%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.68 ¥11.23

5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$14.06 ¥94.0

51.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.02 ¥20.21

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$13.02 ¥87.0

12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.81 ¥12.07

23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.66 ¥11.10

-3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.83 ¥12.21

3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.66 ¥11.08

-15.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.75 ¥5.04

38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.00 ¥6.69

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.43 ¥2.90

30.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.62 ¥4.13

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.78 ¥25.24

15.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.00 ¥73.6

6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.83 ¥5.56

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.63 ¥10.87

12.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.16 ¥1.08

256.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$7.64 ¥51.1

195.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.51 ¥10.12

0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.43 ¥2.89

-11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$4.41 ¥29.50

58.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.22 ¥8.17

10.66%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

9.97%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$18.3K ¥122.2K

-1.96%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$58.4 ¥390

7.47%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$7.82 ¥52.3

31.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$7.53 ¥50.3

117.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$45.05 ¥301

9.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$29.54 ¥198

-41.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$9.02 ¥60.3

-15.30%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$454 ¥3,039

15.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$27.8K ¥185.6K

-11.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$44.72 ¥299

23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$29.79 ¥199

34.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$68.5 ¥458

5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$80.8 ¥541

14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$223 ¥1,492

245.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$151 ¥1,012

215.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$531 ¥3,549

273.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$370 ¥2,474

130.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$2,017 ¥13.5K

576.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$906 ¥6,061

563.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$947 ¥6,329

85.01%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Zhenjiang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Zhenjiang

$151 21.6% 68.3% $327

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Zhenjiang

$217 31% 13.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Zhenjiang

$101 14.3% 14% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Zhenjiang

$84 12% 17.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Zhenjiang

$74 10.5% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Zhenjiang

$63 9% 2.6% $1.7

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7% 57.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $223 in Zhenjiang. 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 $30.00 in Zhenjiang. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $217, with Zhenjiang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,210,418

💱 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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhenjiang wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhenjiang 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 $223 in Zhenjiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhenjiang runs roughly 195% 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 $454 in Zhenjiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $702 in Zhenjiang versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhenjiang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.