Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $783 in Changsha versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Changsha $783
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,282 in Changsha versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Changsha $1,282
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,780 in Changsha versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Changsha $1,780
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Changsha costs roughly 30% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changsha 42% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.69

$3.66 ¥24.35

-19.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.41 ¥149

$29.39 ¥196

-23.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.59

$5.28 ¥35.16

-7.20%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.23

$3.36 ¥22.34

-0.60%

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

$0.51 ¥3.38

$0.58 ¥3.84

-12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.36 ¥2.37

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ¥8.24

$1.48 ¥9.82

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.61

$2.14 ¥14.26

-11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.09

$1.54 ¥10.22

27.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ¥15.77

$1.63 ¥10.84

45.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.14 ¥7.60

-17.54%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.45

$1.75 ¥11.63

-1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.4

$20.74 ¥138

-37.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ¥27.31

$3.41 ¥22.71

20.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.65 ¥77.5

$14.42 ¥96.0

-19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 ¥18.91

$2.25 ¥14.96

26.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.27

$1.62 ¥10.79

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.83

$1.94 ¥12.88

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.46

$1.42 ¥9.47

42.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$1.08 ¥7.20

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.04

$1.28 ¥8.52

29.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.60 ¥3.97

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.27

$0.56 ¥3.75

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.41

$4.43 ¥29.50

-34.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.72 ¥84.7

$12.08 ¥80.4

5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.92 ¥6.15

11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.83 ¥12.15

-15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.44 ¥2.90

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.75 ¥98.2

$18.05 ¥120

-18.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.83

$1.53 ¥10.15

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.41 ¥2.75

-24.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 ¥30.31

$7.36 ¥48.97

-38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.40

$1.32 ¥8.77

-4.55%

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

$19.9K ¥132.1K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

3.28%

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

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-1.25%

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

$56.1 ¥373

$64.8 ¥431

-13.37%

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

$9.08 ¥60.4

$9.90 ¥65.9

-8.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.61 ¥90.6

$16.40 ¥109

-17.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 ¥365

$48.95 ¥326

11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ¥165

$16.95 ¥113

46.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.54

$7.28 ¥48.44

-10.16%

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

$326 ¥2,172

$537 ¥3,572

-39.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.3K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-29.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 ¥562

$55.7 ¥371

51.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.62 ¥230

$40.56 ¥270

-14.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ¥599

$73.1 ¥486

23.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.2 ¥407

$93.9 ¥625

-34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,772

$753 ¥5,009

-64.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ¥1,111

$471 ¥3,132

-64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,721

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-69.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ¥2,536

$830 ¥5,524

-54.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,482 ¥16.5K

$13.2K ¥87.7K

-81.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 ¥9,412

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-78.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 ¥7,347

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-37.36%

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 Changsha: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$237 30.3%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 5% $12

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$167 21.3%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 182% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$122 15.5%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 2.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Changsha

$92 11.7%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 10.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.1%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 15.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 6.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 21.6% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Changsha and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Changsha vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $249 per month, with Changsha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Changsha Shenzhen 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
Shenzhen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Changsha vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $783 in Changsha and $1,117 in Shenzhen, so Changsha is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Changsha. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $266 in Changsha versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $783 per month in Changsha versus $1,117 in Shenzhen – Changsha is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Changsha is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.