Cost of Living & Income: Shenzhen vs Johannesburg

ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Shenzhen and Johannesburg are averages compiled from millions of user-contributed income and living-cost entries worldwide over the last 12 months (updated July 2026), converted to Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥). Green 🟢 marks a higher income or a lower price. Source: NUMBEO, which is widely cited by international media; the Seapoe team compiled, translated and processed the data.

Income comparison

MetricShenzhenJohannesburgShenzhen vs Johannesburg
💰 Average monthly net salary¥11,743¥11,902Johannesburg earns 1.0× the salary in Shenzhen

Daily expenses

MetricShenzhenJohannesburgShenzhen vs Johannesburg
🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant¥25¥83Johannesburg costs 3.30× the price in Shenzhen
🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)¥200¥320Johannesburg costs 1.60× the price in Shenzhen
🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent)¥35¥50Johannesburg costs 1.42× the price in Shenzhen
💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly)¥382.6¥1,429.2Johannesburg costs 3.74× the price in Shenzhen
💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly)¥75.8¥263.1Johannesburg costs 3.47× the price in Shenzhen
📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly)¥61.7¥239.8Johannesburg costs 3.88× the price in Shenzhen
💪 Gym membership (monthly)¥330.1¥270.6Shenzhen costs 1.22× the price in Johannesburg
🎬 Cinema ticket, international release¥49.9¥53.7Johannesburg costs 1.08× the price in Shenzhen
⛽ Petrol (1 litre)¥8.6¥10.2Johannesburg costs 1.18× the price in Shenzhen

Supermarket prices

MetricShenzhenJohannesburgShenzhen vs Johannesburg
🥩 Beef round (1 kg)¥93.3¥60.7Shenzhen costs 1.54× the price in Johannesburg
🥚 Eggs (12)¥11.8¥17.1Johannesburg costs 1.45× the price in Shenzhen
🥛 Milk (1 litre)¥11.0¥8.9Shenzhen costs 1.24× the price in Johannesburg
🍞 Bread (500 g)¥11.8¥8.5Shenzhen costs 1.39× the price in Johannesburg
🍏 Apples (1 kg)¥14.7¥14.1Shenzhen costs 1.04× the price in Johannesburg
🥔 Potatoes (1 kg)¥7.3¥11.3Johannesburg costs 1.55× the price in Shenzhen
🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg)¥9.5¥13.9Johannesburg costs 1.46× the price in Shenzhen
🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml)¥6.4¥12.1Johannesburg costs 1.90× the price in Shenzhen
🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle¥88.0¥41.3Shenzhen costs 2.13× the price in Johannesburg

Rent & property prices

MetricShenzhenJohannesburgShenzhen vs Johannesburg
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥4,543¥3,658Shenzhen costs 1.24× the price in Johannesburg
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥3,049¥2,977Shenzhen costs 1.02× the price in Johannesburg
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥12,006¥7,149Shenzhen costs 1.68× the price in Johannesburg
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥5,876¥6,169Johannesburg costs 1.05× the price in Shenzhen
🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre¥87,274¥6,724Shenzhen costs 12.98× the price in Johannesburg
🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre¥41,349¥5,101Shenzhen costs 8.11× the price in Johannesburg