Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changde and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $650 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Changde
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Changde Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Changde

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $650 per month in Changde vs $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Changde $650
Shenzhen $1,138

A couple spends around $1,126 per month in Changde vs $1,750 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Changde $1,126
Shenzhen $1,750

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Changde vs $2,362 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Changde $1,602
Shenzhen $2,362

Changde is about 43% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Changde and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Changde 52% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$3.67 ¥24.53

-40.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.66 ¥118

$29.43 ¥197

-39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥33.67

$5.28 ¥35.28

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥15.81

$3.27 ¥21.83

-27.52%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.54 ¥3.63

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.33 ¥2.20

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.85

$1.53 ¥10.23

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.26

$2.15 ¥14.38

-7.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.62 ¥10.85

-8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 ¥15.30

$1.62 ¥10.85

41.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.09 ¥7.27

-20.18%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.58

$1.71 ¥11.44

1.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ¥86.0

$21.39 ¥143

-39.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 ¥27.16

$3.45 ¥23.08

17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 ¥76.6

$14.25 ¥95.3

-19.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$2.34 ¥15.64

-30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.58 ¥10.55

-22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.36

$1.95 ¥13.03

-43.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.47 ¥9.85

-40.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.08 ¥7.21

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.94

$1.25 ¥8.35

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.59 ¥3.97

-33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$0.59 ¥3.95

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.28

$4.41 ¥29.47

-31.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ¥85.2

$11.73 ¥78.4

8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.91

$0.98 ¥6.57

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.75 ¥11.69

-58.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.63 ¥4.20

-53.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.85 ¥119

$22.28 ¥149

-19.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.45 ¥9.71

-18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.39 ¥2.60

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$7.02 ¥46.93

-37.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.72

$1.34 ¥8.97

-2.99%

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-1.87%

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

$17.9K ¥120.0K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-1.12%

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

$55.6 ¥372

$65.1 ¥435

-14.64%

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

$9.17 ¥61.3

$10.25 ¥68.5

-10.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥75.1

$16.17 ¥108

-30.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.44 ¥284

$48.78 ¥326

-13.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$17.24 ¥115

-14.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.86

$7.51 ¥50.2

-22.64%

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

$328 ¥2,191

$538 ¥3,596

-39.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.5K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-31.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 ¥568

$54.9 ¥367

54.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ¥233

$40.04 ¥268

-12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 ¥595

$72.4 ¥484

22.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 ¥398

$93.4 ¥624

-36.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 ¥886

$768 ¥5,135

-82.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.4 ¥638

$486 ¥3,248

-80.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ¥4,127

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,492

$869 ¥5,813

-57.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 ¥26.4K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-71.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 ¥13.2K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-67.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$745 ¥4,980

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-57.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.35

3.28%

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

Last update for Changde: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changde

$209 32.1%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 20.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Changde

$121 18.6%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 2.8% $3.4

Accommodation & Living

Changde

$95 14.7%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 409% $390

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changde

$76 11.7%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 20.5% $16

Eating Out

Changde

$74 11.3%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 35.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Changde

$54 8.3%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 18% $9.7

Getting Around

Changde

$22 3.3%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 29.7% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Changde versus $768 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 133% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Changde versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $251 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changde

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Changde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,717,200

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

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Changde Shenzhen 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Changde vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 75% more than Changde, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Changde and $1,706 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changde, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Changde and $29.00 in Shenzhen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $650 in Changde and $1,138 in Shenzhen. That's a gap of about 75%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changde – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Changde. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.