Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiagang and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
Learn more

Zhangjiagang Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Zhangjiagang $740
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,149 in Zhangjiagang versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Zhangjiagang $1,149
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Zhangjiagang $1,558
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Zhangjiagang costs roughly 35% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhangjiagang 45% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥25.42

$3.67 ¥24.53

3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.20 ¥148

$29.43 ¥197

-24.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.31

$5.28 ¥35.28

-5.68%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$3.27 ¥21.83

-7.03%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.54 ¥3.63

-9.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.33 ¥2.20

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$1.53 ¥10.23

-1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.84

$2.15 ¥14.38

3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.62 ¥10.85

28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$1.62 ¥10.85

29.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$1.09 ¥7.27

-22.94%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.71 ¥11.44

-20.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$21.39 ¥143

-50.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.59

$3.45 ¥23.08

-15.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 ¥61.0

$14.25 ¥95.3

-36.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$2.34 ¥15.64

-12.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$1.58 ¥10.55

-18.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$1.95 ¥13.03

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.47 ¥9.85

-24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$1.08 ¥7.21

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$1.25 ¥8.35

-28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$0.59 ¥3.97

47.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.51

$0.59 ¥3.95

-10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.37

$4.41 ¥29.47

-17.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ¥89.9

$11.73 ¥78.4

14.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$0.98 ¥6.57

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$1.75 ¥11.69

-10.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$0.63 ¥4.20

-52.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.58 ¥118

$22.28 ¥149

-21.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.45 ¥9.71

21.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$7.02 ¥46.93

24.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$1.34 ¥8.97

2.24%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-1.29%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-7.13%

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

$55.8 ¥373

$65.1 ¥435

-14.36%

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

$7.76 ¥51.9

$10.25 ¥68.5

-24.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.32 ¥48.97

$16.17 ¥108

-54.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.15 ¥242

$48.78 ¥326

-25.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$17.24 ¥115

-7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.60

$7.51 ¥50.2

-19.17%

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

$418 ¥2,793

$538 ¥3,596

-22.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ¥149.4K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-7.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.99 ¥287

$54.9 ¥367

-21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 ¥228

$40.04 ¥268

-14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$72.4 ¥484

-9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥591

$93.4 ¥624

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,869

$768 ¥5,135

-63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ¥1,295

$486 ¥3,248

-60.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 ¥4,808

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ¥2,167

$869 ¥5,813

-62.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 ¥21.8K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-76.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,685 ¥11.3K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-72.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

3.35

2.09%

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

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 23.1% $47

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 151% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 12.8% $13

Eating Out

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 3% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 29.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 32.1% $16

Getting Around

Zhangjiagang

$22 3%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 25.4% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Zhangjiagang and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Zhangjiagang vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $251 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

Same time as Zhangjiagang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,432,044

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

Zhangjiagang Shenzhen 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiagang
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

Zhangjiagang vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiagang wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiagang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,110 in Zhangjiagang and $1,706 in Shenzhen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $280 in Zhangjiagang versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiagang runs roughly 27% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $418 in Zhangjiagang versus $538 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.