Cost of living comparison

Japan

compared to

China

Shenzhen vs. Saitama Cost of Living Summary

Shenzhen is 3.3% more expensive than Saitama.

Restaurants: pay 21.5% less in Shenzhen
Groceries: pay 28.8% less in Shenzhen
Transportation: pay 15.7% less in Shenzhen
Housing: pay 46.5% more in Shenzhen
Childcare: pay 16.8% more in Shenzhen
Entertainment and Sports: pay 20.3% less in Shenzhen
Clothing: pay 47.2% more in Shenzhen

The cost of clothing, housing, and childcare in Shenzhen are more expensive than in Saitama. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Shenzhen.

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Shenzhen vs. Saitama Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shenzhen instead of Saitama, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.5% less for restaurants

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.69 ¥900	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-34.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.74 ¥750	$5.22 CN¥34.93	+10.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.71 ¥112	$0.56 CN¥3.72	-21.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.62 ¥97	$0.34 CN¥2.27	-45.1%
Average			-21.5%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of restaurants

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pay 28.8% less for groceries

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Bread 1 loaf	$1.70 ¥268	$1.60 CN¥10.72	-5.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.18 ¥819	$10.53 CN¥70.43	+103.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.37 ¥849	$5.97 CN¥39.92	+11.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.04 ¥322	$1.72 CN¥11.52	-15.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.50 ¥395	$1.53 CN¥10.22	-38.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.58 ¥408	$1.03 CN¥6.90	-60.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.00 ¥158	$0.72 CN¥4.82	-28.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.31 ¥206	$0.87 CN¥5.79	-33.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.90 ¥300	$0.66 CN¥4.39	-65.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ¥185	$0.48 CN¥3.21	-58.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.72 ¥113	$0.57 CN¥3.85	-19.9%
Average			-28.8%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of groceries

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pay 15.7% less for transportation

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.11 ¥649	$5.01 CN¥33.51	+21.8%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$22.37 CN¥149.69
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,434.36 ¥3M	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-9.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$24.67 ¥3,899	$4.65 CN¥31.14	-81.1%
Average			-15.7%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of transportation

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pay 46.5% more for housing

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$32.16 ¥5,082	$16.39 CN¥109.66	-49.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$411.23 ¥64,980	$759.98 CN¥5,084.90	+84.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$237.25 ¥37,488	$476.09 CN¥3,185.43	+100.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$101.00 ¥15,960	$48.84 CN¥326.76	-51.6%
Average			+46.5%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of housing

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pay 16.8% more for childcare

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$632.30 ¥99,913	$528.93 CN¥3,539.00	-16.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$14,725.05 ¥2M	$24,029.94 CN¥161K	+63.2%
Average			+16.8%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of childcare

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pay 20.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.53 ¥400	$1.49 CN¥9.98	-41.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.01 ¥475	$3.31 CN¥22.16	+10.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.80 ¥600	$4.47 CN¥29.94	+17.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$62.63 ¥9,897	$49.66 CN¥332.26	-20.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.07 ¥1,749	$7.45 CN¥49.85	-32.7%
Average			-20.3%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 47.2% more for clothing

	Saitama	Shenzhen
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$34.80 ¥5,498	$54.66 CN¥365.75	+57.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$25.31 ¥3,999	$39.75 CN¥265.95	+57.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$55.36 ¥8,747	$72.46 CN¥484.85	+30.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$63.27 ¥9,997	$91.98 CN¥615.39	+45.4%
Average			+47.2%

Saitama vs. Shenzhen - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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