Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tianjin 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 Tianjin and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $854 in Tianjin versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Tianjin $854
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,361 in Tianjin versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Tianjin $1,361
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Tianjin versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Tianjin $1,868
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Tianjin costs roughly 24% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tianjin 37% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 ¥27.77

$3.66 ¥24.31

14.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.41 ¥162

$29.39 ¥195

-16.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 ¥38.85

$5.28 ¥35.12

10.80%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ¥26.96

$3.36 ¥22.31

20.83%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.58 ¥3.84

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.87

$0.36 ¥2.37

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ¥6.62

$1.48 ¥9.81

-32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.67

$2.14 ¥14.24

-17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.56

$1.54 ¥10.21

-6.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 ¥15.55

$1.63 ¥10.83

43.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.09

$1.14 ¥7.59

46.49%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.75 ¥11.62

-24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 ¥98.2

$20.74 ¥138

-28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.88

$3.41 ¥22.68

9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 ¥64.9

$14.42 ¥95.8

-32.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.87

$2.25 ¥14.94

-27.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.62 ¥10.77

-4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.70

$1.94 ¥12.86

-9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$1.42 ¥9.46

-16.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$1.08 ¥7.19

-17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.76

$1.28 ¥8.51

-8.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.50

$0.60 ¥3.96

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.71

$0.56 ¥3.75

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.40 ¥35.89

$4.43 ¥29.46

21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 ¥90.7

$12.08 ¥80.3

13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.92 ¥6.14

11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ¥16.93

$1.83 ¥12.13

39.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.44 ¥2.90

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 ¥58.6

$18.05 ¥120

-51.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.27

$1.53 ¥10.14

11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.41 ¥2.74

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 ¥42.15

$7.36 ¥48.90

-13.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.32 ¥8.76

-4.55%

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

$19.1K ¥127.2K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

-0.40%

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

$17.9K ¥119.1K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

-0.66%

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

$93.1 ¥619

$64.8 ¥430

43.75%

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

$6.38 ¥42.38

$9.90 ¥65.8

-35.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.71 ¥51.3

$16.40 ¥109

-52.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.02 ¥113

$48.95 ¥325

-65.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 ¥70.1

$16.95 ¥113

-37.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ¥50.2

$7.28 ¥48.37

3.85%

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

$1,293 ¥8,593

$537 ¥3,567

140.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$55.7 ¥370

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ¥190

$40.56 ¥270

-29.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ¥740

$73.1 ¥485

52.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ¥923

$93.9 ¥624

48.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,402

$753 ¥5,003

-51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,416

$471 ¥3,127

-54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 ¥5,767

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,072

$830 ¥5,516

-44.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,773 ¥31.7K

$13.2K ¥87.6K

-63.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,240 ¥14.9K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-65.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,173 ¥7,793

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-33.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.35

5.67%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$226 26.5%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 10% $23

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$213 24.9%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 121% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$151 17.7%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 21.4% $32

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 13%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 9.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.6%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 15% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.8%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 97.7% $31

Getting Around

Tianjin

$14 1.6%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 71.2% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $362 in Tianjin and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Tianjin vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $249 per month, with Tianjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

Same time as Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

12,528,300

💱 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

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Tianjin Shenzhen 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tianjin
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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

Tianjin vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tianjin wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tianjin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Tianjin. 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: $362 in Tianjin versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tianjin runs roughly 51% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,293 in Tianjin versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Expats usually find Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.