Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiyuan and in Shenzhen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taiyuan and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $589 in Taiyuan versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Taiyuan $589
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Taiyuan versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Taiyuan $913
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,238 in Taiyuan versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Taiyuan $1,238
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Taiyuan costs roughly 48% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taiyuan 56% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$3.67 ¥24.50

-37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$29.43 ¥197

-49.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$5.28 ¥35.23

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$3.27 ¥21.80

-19.27%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.54 ¥3.62

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.33 ¥2.19

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$1.53 ¥10.22

-20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$2.15 ¥14.35

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.83

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.83

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.09 ¥7.26

-23.85%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.71 ¥11.42

-40.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.05

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$14.25 ¥95.1

-8.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$2.34 ¥15.62

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.58 ¥10.53

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.95 ¥13.02

-58.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$1.47 ¥9.84

-21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$1.08 ¥7.20

-55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.25 ¥8.34

-76.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.59 ¥3.95

-22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$4.41 ¥29.43

-33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$11.73 ¥78.3

-35.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$0.98 ¥6.56

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.75 ¥11.67

-17.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.63 ¥4.19

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$22.28 ¥149

-38.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.45 ¥9.70

-18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.39 ¥2.60

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$7.02 ¥46.86

-46.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.34 ¥8.95

-6.72%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

2.85%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

-3.38%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$65.1 ¥435

44.88%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$10.25 ¥68.4

0.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$16.17 ¥108

-21.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$48.78 ¥326

-7.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$17.24 ¥115

-49.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$7.51 ¥50.2

-11.58%

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

$538 ¥3,591

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥161.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥184

$54.9 ¥367

-49.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$40.04 ¥267

67.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$72.4 ¥484

2.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$93.4 ¥624

-36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$768 ¥5,128

-70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$486 ¥3,243

-76.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$1,982 ¥13.2K

-71.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$869 ¥5,805

-70.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$13.8K ¥91.9K

-80.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$6,098 ¥40.7K

-79.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-46.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

3.35

14.33%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 22% $26

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 327% $372

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 144% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 14.3% $15

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 30.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 9.2% $5.4

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 63.7% $11

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 $223 in Taiyuan and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 87% 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: $15.00 in Taiyuan vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $251 per month, with Taiyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

12,528,300

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taiyuan Shenzhen 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
Shenzhen

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

Taiyuan vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiyuan wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taiyuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Shenzhen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $223 in Taiyuan versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taiyuan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Taiyuan runs roughly 63% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $589 in Taiyuan versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taiyuan but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.