Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yangzhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $686 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Yangzhou
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Yangzhou Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Yangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$686

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $686 in Yangzhou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Yangzhou $686
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Yangzhou versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Yangzhou $1,102
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,517 in Yangzhou versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Yangzhou $1,517
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Yangzhou costs roughly 39% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yangzhou 50% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.17

$3.66 ¥24.31

-37.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.15 ¥74.1

$29.39 ¥195

-62.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.08 ¥20.45

$5.28 ¥35.12

-41.67%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.60

$3.36 ¥22.31

-25.60%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.58 ¥3.84

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.39

$0.36 ¥2.37

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.85

$1.48 ¥9.81

-30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥13.33

$2.14 ¥14.24

-6.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.15

$1.54 ¥10.21

-20.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 ¥13.48

$1.63 ¥10.83

24.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.39

$1.14 ¥7.59

-28.95%

Eggs

$1.02 ¥6.75

$1.75 ¥11.62

-41.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 ¥93.8

$20.74 ¥138

-31.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ¥17.80

$3.41 ¥22.68

-21.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ¥44.77

$14.42 ¥95.8

-53.26%

Apples (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.97

$2.25 ¥14.94

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.25

$1.62 ¥10.77

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.44 ¥2.89

$1.94 ¥12.86

-77.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ¥6.95

$1.42 ¥9.46

-26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.79

$1.08 ¥7.19

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$1.28 ¥8.51

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$0.60 ¥3.96

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.76

$0.56 ¥3.75

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.98 ¥19.82

$4.43 ¥29.46

-32.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 ¥79.9

$12.08 ¥80.3

-0.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥5.89

$0.92 ¥6.14

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.69

$1.83 ¥12.13

4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.44 ¥2.90

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.84 ¥132

$18.05 ¥120

9.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.85

$1.53 ¥10.14

-22.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.41 ¥2.74

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.51

$7.36 ¥48.90

-51.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.32 ¥8.76

-12.12%

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

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

2.49%

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

$16.8K ¥111.8K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

-6.75%

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

$49.69 ¥330

$64.8 ¥430

-23.28%

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

$8.29 ¥55.1

$9.90 ¥65.8

-16.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 ¥80.3

$16.40 ¥109

-26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.28 ¥254

$48.95 ¥325

-21.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.92 ¥112

$16.95 ¥113

-0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 ¥42.46

$7.28 ¥48.37

-12.23%

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

$242 ¥1,611

$537 ¥3,567

-54.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,398 ¥49.2K

$24.4K ¥162.2K

-69.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 ¥607

$55.7 ¥370

63.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.42 ¥215

$40.56 ¥270

-20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.0 ¥432

$73.1 ¥485

-11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ¥606

$93.9 ¥624

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ¥1,687

$753 ¥5,003

-66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,077

$471 ¥3,127

-65.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥4,045

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-67.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,578

$830 ¥5,516

-53.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,595 ¥17.2K

$13.2K ¥87.6K

-80.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,777 ¥11.8K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-72.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,260 ¥8,373

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-28.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

3.35

-7.46%

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

Last update for Yangzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yangzhou

$184 26.8%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 35.2% $65

Accommodation & Living

Yangzhou

$162 23.6%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 190% $309

Clothing & Footwear

Yangzhou

$126 18.4%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 6% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yangzhou

$70 10.2%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 30% $21

Eating Out

Yangzhou

$69 10.1%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 45.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Yangzhou

$51 7.4%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 24.4% $12

Getting Around

Yangzhou

$24 3.5%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 1.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $254 in Yangzhou and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 40% 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: $11 in Yangzhou vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $249 per month, with Yangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yangzhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

Same time as Yangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,559,797

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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Between locations

Yangzhou Shenzhen 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Yangzhou
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

Yangzhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yangzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yangzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Yangzhou. 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: $254 in Yangzhou versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 9% less than in Yangzhou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $242 in Yangzhou versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $686 in Yangzhou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yangzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yangzhou 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.

It comes down to priorities – Yangzhou wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.