Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yulin and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
Learn more

Yulin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $699 in Yulin versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Yulin $699
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,123 in Yulin versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Yulin $1,123
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,548 in Yulin versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Yulin $1,548
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Yulin costs roughly 37% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yulin 49% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.10

$3.66 ¥24.35

-37.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ¥108

$29.39 ¥196

-44.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.60

$5.28 ¥35.17

-7.20%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.27

$3.36 ¥22.34

-36.31%

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

$0.40 ¥2.67

$0.58 ¥3.84

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.58

$0.36 ¥2.37

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 ¥11.30

$1.48 ¥9.82

14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.81

$2.14 ¥14.26

4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.24

$1.54 ¥10.22

19.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.63 ¥10.84

0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$1.14 ¥7.60

-14.04%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.22

$1.75 ¥11.63

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.16 ¥80.9

$20.74 ¥138

-41.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ¥23.94

$3.41 ¥22.71

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 ¥77.3

$14.42 ¥96.0

-19.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.49

$2.25 ¥14.96

-23.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.82

$1.62 ¥10.79

-17.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.94 ¥12.88

-23.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$1.42 ¥9.47

-13.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.08 ¥7.20

-29.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$1.28 ¥8.52

-22.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.60 ¥3.97

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.56 ¥3.76

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$4.43 ¥29.50

-21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 ¥68.8

$12.08 ¥80.4

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.37

$0.92 ¥6.15

-11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$1.83 ¥12.15

-22.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.44 ¥2.90

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.78 ¥132

$18.05 ¥120

9.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ¥9.57

$1.53 ¥10.15

-5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.48

$0.41 ¥2.75

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 ¥52.9

$7.36 ¥48.98

7.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥9.35

$1.32 ¥8.77

6.82%

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

$17.2K ¥114.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

-10.58%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-1.10%

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

$57.2 ¥380

$64.8 ¥431

-11.76%

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

$8.96 ¥59.6

$9.90 ¥65.9

-9.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.40 ¥75.9

$16.40 ¥109

-30.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 ¥274

$48.95 ¥326

-16.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 ¥112

$16.95 ¥113

-0.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.21

$7.28 ¥48.44

-10.85%

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

$421 ¥2,803

$537 ¥3,572

-21.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ¥107.6K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-33.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.04 ¥286

$55.7 ¥371

-22.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 ¥216

$40.56 ¥270

-20.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ¥497

$73.1 ¥486

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ¥500

$93.9 ¥625

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,186

$753 ¥5,010

-56.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,081

$471 ¥3,132

-65.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ¥4,079

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,415

$830 ¥5,525

-56.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,146 ¥20.9K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-76.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,915 ¥12.7K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-70.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,939

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-66.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Yulin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yulin

$205 29.3%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 21.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Yulin

$162 23.3%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 190% $308

Clothing & Footwear

Yulin

$101 14.5%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 16.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yulin

$78 11.1%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 17.5% $14

Eating Out

Yulin

$74 10.6%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 36.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Yulin

$54 7.7%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 17.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Yulin

$24 3.5%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 3.9% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Yulin and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Yulin vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $249 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yulin

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

Same time as Yulin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yulin Shenzhen 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yulin
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

Yulin vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yulin wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yulin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Yulin. 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: $329 in Yulin 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 Yulin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $421 in Yulin versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $699 in Yulin versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yulin 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 – Yulin wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.