Cost of living comparison

 Reykjavik, Iceland
compared to
 Shenzhen, China
Shenzhen vs. Reykjavik Cost of Living Summary

Shenzhen is 21.4% cheaper than Reykjavik.

Restaurants
pay 80.5% less in Shenzhen
Groceries
pay 44.0% less in Shenzhen
Transportation
pay 61.5% less in Shenzhen
Housing
pay 56.6% less in Shenzhen
Childcare
pay 3.0 times more in Shenzhen
Entertainment and Sports
pay 57.5% less in Shenzhen
Clothing
pay 47.7% less in Shenzhen

Expenses including restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in Shenzhen. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen vs. Reykjavik Cost Breakdown

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

pay 80.5% less for restaurants

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.00
ISK2,545
$3.48
CN¥25.05
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$18.02
ISK2,293
$5.57
CN¥40.07
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.15
ISK401
$0.49
CN¥3.51

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pay 44.0% less for groceries

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Bread
1 loaf
$3.61
ISK459
$1.96
CN¥14.12
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.76
ISK987
$6.05
CN¥43.54
Milk (1 gallon) $6.40
ISK815
$7.62
CN¥54.83

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pay 61.5% less for transportation

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.50
ISK1,082
$4.47
CN¥32.21
Monthly public transit pass $74.95
ISK9,538
$27.83
CN¥200.37
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,450.45
ISK5,401,820
$19,132.83
CN¥137,752.55

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pay 56.6% less for housing

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.87
ISK8,890
$13.67
CN¥98.45
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,971.17
ISK250,832
$761.65
CN¥5,483.74
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,803.44
ISK229,488
$401.07
CN¥2,887.65

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pay 3.0 times more for childcare

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $252.14
ISK32,085
$508.66
CN¥3,662.27
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,993.99
ISK762,736
$23,655.14
CN¥170,312.25

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pay 57.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.81
ISK1,376
$1.11
CN¥8.01
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.31
ISK675
$3.16
CN¥22.78
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.25
ISK1,558
$3.83
CN¥27.55

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pay 47.7% less for clothing

 
Reykjavik
Shenzhen
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$108.97
ISK13,867
$60.75
CN¥437.39
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.72
ISK6,327
$28.97
CN¥208.60
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$151.85
ISK19,323
$76.32
CN¥549.46

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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: June 2025
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