Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $555 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

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Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$555

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $555 in Yiwu versus $1,096 in Shenzhen.

Yiwu $555
Shenzhen $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Yiwu versus $1,708 in Shenzhen.

Yiwu $1,299
Shenzhen $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,044 in Yiwu versus $2,320 in Shenzhen.

Yiwu $2,044
Shenzhen $2,320

Living in Yiwu costs roughly 49% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yiwu 59% lower, Shenzhen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.87 ¥19.12

$3.79 ¥25.21

-24.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.67 ¥198

$30.66 ¥204

-3.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.42

$5.15 ¥34.27

0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ¥21.72

$3.36 ¥22.39

-2.98%

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

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.58 ¥3.85

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.42

$0.33 ¥2.16

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.88

$1.49 ¥9.91

-20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ¥16.98

$2.16 ¥14.37

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.62 ¥10.79

13.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 ¥13.17

$1.56 ¥10.38

26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.14 ¥7.58

-13.16%

Eggs

$1.85 ¥12.33

$1.65 ¥11.01

12.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.77 ¥118

$21.13 ¥141

-15.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.55

$3.53 ¥23.49

-8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 ¥88.0

$14.59 ¥97.2

-9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.64

$2.34 ¥15.60

-5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.65

$1.62 ¥10.78

8.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ¥13.75

$1.95 ¥13.00

6.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.65

$1.52 ¥10.14

15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.09 ¥7.25

-27.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.56

$1.29 ¥8.61

-24.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.50

$0.62 ¥4.12

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.24

$0.60 ¥3.97

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ¥27.66

$4.59 ¥30.58

-9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 ¥73.2

$12.08 ¥80.4

-9.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥5.98

$0.95 ¥6.35

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.74

$1.69 ¥11.24

-4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.43 ¥2.88

2.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.54 ¥10.26

-10.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.43 ¥2.84

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ¥58.4

$7.07 ¥47.05

24.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.17

$1.32 ¥8.80

-6.82%

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

$19.4K ¥128.9K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

0.06%

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

$18.6K ¥123.8K

$18.4K ¥122.2K

1.33%

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

$58.4 ¥389

$63.3 ¥421

-7.74%

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

$8.58 ¥57.2

$9.87 ¥65.7

-13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥69.9

$16.37 ¥109

-35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.30 ¥102

$48.08 ¥320

-68.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.33 ¥75.4

$16.89 ¥112

-32.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.96 ¥46.35

$7.63 ¥50.8

-8.78%

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

$1,484 ¥9,879

$540 ¥3,595

174.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.8K ¥304.8K

$40.3K ¥268.2K

13.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥364

$56.1 ¥373

-2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.44 ¥249

$40.63 ¥271

-7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 ¥500

$71.7 ¥477

4.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.7 ¥497

$81.5 ¥543

-8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 ¥3,009

$764 ¥5,088

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,022

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 ¥7,102

$1,793 ¥11.9K

-40.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥4,950

$839 ¥5,586

-11.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K ¥79.0K

$13.5K ¥89.9K

-12.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,919 ¥19.4K

$6,628 ¥44.1K

-55.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 ¥4,982

$1,857 ¥12.4K

-59.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.32

3.36

-1.19%

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

Last update for Yiwu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yiwu

$241 43.5%

Shenzhen

$252 23% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$109 19.6%

Shenzhen

$112 10.3% 3.3% $3.6

Eating Out

Yiwu

$92 16.7%

Shenzhen

$101 9.3% 9.9% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$77 14%

Shenzhen

$90 8.2% 15.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Shenzhen

$63 5.8% 117% $34

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.3 * 1%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 339% $18

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

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 $452 in Yiwu and $764 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Yiwu vs $31 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $252 per month, with Yiwu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

Same time as Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Yiwu Shenzhen 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yiwu
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

Yiwu vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yiwu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Yiwu. 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: $452 in Yiwu versus $764 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,484 in Yiwu versus $540 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yiwu – a meal for two runs $30 versus $31 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $555 in Yiwu versus $1,096 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Yiwu but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yiwu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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