Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
Learn more

Chaozhou Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Chaozhou $642
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Chaozhou $1,047
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Chaozhou $1,451
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 43% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaozhou 53% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$3.73 ¥24.93

-39.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$29.92 ¥200

-21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$5.36 ¥35.83

-33.96%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$3.39 ¥22.66

-55.16%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.55 ¥3.67

-10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.35 ¥2.36

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.47 ¥9.84

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$2.17 ¥14.50

32.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.59 ¥10.64

-4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.63 ¥10.88

-9.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.14 ¥7.59

-35.96%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.78 ¥11.89

-34.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$21.25 ¥142

-54.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$3.45 ¥23.10

-26.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$14.69 ¥98.2

-18.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$2.23 ¥14.94

-1.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.61 ¥10.73

-41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.89 ¥12.67

-51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$1.41 ¥9.41

24.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.04 ¥6.95

-40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.25 ¥8.36

-62.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.56 ¥3.76

-23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.61 ¥4.05

-49.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$4.38 ¥29.30

-32.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$11.72 ¥78.4

-5.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.98 ¥6.53

-26.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.83 ¥12.21

-36.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.57 ¥3.82

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$22.57 ¥151

-20.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$1.52 ¥10.15

-34.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.38 ¥2.55

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$6.99 ¥46.71

0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.35 ¥9.02

-8.15%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-2.11%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-1.40%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$62.8 ¥420

-30.23%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$10.25 ¥68.5

-57.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$16.36 ¥109

-30.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$49.52 ¥331

-16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$17.32 ¥116

-13.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$7.64 ¥51.1

-16.75%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$526 ¥3,519

-8.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

0.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$55.1 ¥369

-75.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$39.99 ¥267

-28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$72.3 ¥484

21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$92.7 ¥620

-35.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$771 ¥5,158

-61.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$478 ¥3,195

-62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-68.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$852 ¥5,696

-55.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-74.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-67.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-72.00%

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 Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 39.4% $71

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 166% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 37% $32

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 65.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 50.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 20.1% $11

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 30.9% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 257% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $251 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chaozhou Shenzhen 290 km

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou and Shenzhen differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $1,131 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 257% lower in Shenzhen. 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: $300 in Chaozhou versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $526 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.