Cost of living comparison
compared to
Shanghai vs. Shenzhen Cost of Living Summary
Shanghai is 25.4% more expensive than Shenzhen.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.4% more in Shanghai
- Groceries
-
pay 5.2% more in Shanghai
- Transportation
-
pay 22.2% more in Shanghai
- Housing
-
pay 12.5% more in Shanghai
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in Shanghai
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.0% more in Shanghai
- Clothing
-
pay 10.5% more in Shanghai
The cost of childcare, transportation, restaurants, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Shanghai are more expensive than in Shenzhen. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.
Shanghai vs. Shenzhen Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Shanghai instead of Shenzhen, you would:
pay 14.4% more for restaurants
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.50
CN¥24.78
|
$4.21
CN¥29.74
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥34.69
|
$5.61
CN¥39.65
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.56
|
$0.52
CN¥3.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.27
CN¥1.94
|
$0.33
CN¥2.31
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.2% more for groceries
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.91
CN¥13.50
|
$1.86
CN¥13.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.11
CN¥43.19
|
$8.08
CN¥57.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.79
CN¥47.98
|
$8.27
CN¥58.46
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.84
CN¥13.01
|
$1.74
CN¥12.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.69
CN¥11.94
|
$1.36
CN¥9.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.83
CN¥5.83
|
$1.00
CN¥7.09
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.40
|
$0.78
CN¥5.51
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.76
CN¥5.40
|
$0.84
CN¥5.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
CN¥3.97
|
$0.66
CN¥4.67
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.46
CN¥3.26
|
$0.35
CN¥2.44
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.27
|
$0.49
CN¥3.46
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries
pay 22.2% more for transportation
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.38
CN¥30.96
|
$4.24
CN¥29.96
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$18.93
CN¥133.81
|
$35.05
CN¥247.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,132.57
CN¥163,549.59
|
$19,627.64
CN¥138,769.35
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.60
CN¥32.51
|
$5.61
CN¥39.65
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation
pay 12.5% more for housing
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.58
CN¥88.97
|
$12.37
CN¥87.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$705.67
CN¥4,989.14
|
$926.30
CN¥6,549.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$386.94
CN¥2,735.74
|
$551.44
CN¥3,898.76
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$52.15
CN¥368.68
|
$40.55
CN¥286.67
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$442.40
CN¥3,127.82
|
$1,229.70
CN¥8,694.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,010.99
CN¥155,619.91
|
$29,777.93
CN¥210,532.92
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare
pay 6.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.33
CN¥9.42
|
$1.40
CN¥9.91
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
CN¥22.59
|
$3.25
CN¥22.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.50
CN¥24.78
|
$2.80
CN¥19.82
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.89
CN¥331.52
|
$57.60
CN¥407.22
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.01
CN¥49.56
|
$8.41
CN¥59.47
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.5% more for clothing
|
Shenzhen
|
Shanghai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.49
CN¥342.83
|
$46.70
CN¥330.21
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.33
CN¥214.43
|
$37.62
CN¥266.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$74.38
CN¥525.87
|
$72.33
CN¥511.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.01
CN¥622.26
|
$109.50
CN¥774.21
|
|
Shenzhen vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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