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Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shenzhen Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Shenzhen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Chengdu is 15.8% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 33.6% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Chengdu is 15.8% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 35.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 ยฅ19.92
$3.27 ยฅ22.80
-12.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.68 ยฅ165
$28.04 ยฅ196
-15.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ยฅ33.39
$5.07 ยฅ35.40
-5.72%
Cappuccino
$2.86 ยฅ19.97
$3.18 ยฅ22.19
-10.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ยฅ3.02
$0.51 ยฅ3.59
-15.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ยฅ2.11
$0.28 ยฅ1.95
7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.14 ยฅ7.95
$1.27 ยฅ8.86
-10.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ยฅ14.99
$2.75 ยฅ19.19
-21.82%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 ยฅ12.28
$1.79 ยฅ12.51
-1.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ยฅ10.15
$2.05 ยฅ14.28
-29.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.90 ยฅ6.29
$1.23 ยฅ8.57
-26.83%
Eggs
$1.87 ยฅ13.08
$1.84 ยฅ12.85
1.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 ยฅ95.7
$12.95 ยฅ90.4
5.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.65 ยฅ25.48
$4.07 ยฅ28.39
-10.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.15 ยฅ77.8
$13.38 ยฅ93.4
-16.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ยฅ12.97
$1.81 ยฅ12.63
2.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 ยฅ8.55
$1.41 ยฅ9.87
-12.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ยฅ10.62
$1.74 ยฅ12.18
-12.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.02 ยฅ7.15
$1.34 ยฅ9.38
-23.88%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ยฅ4.66
$1.05 ยฅ7.35
-36.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 ยฅ4.94
$1.42 ยฅ9.88
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ยฅ4.24
$0.75 ยฅ5.22
-18.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ยฅ4.20
$0.57 ยฅ3.97
5.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.43 ยฅ23.95
$3.44 ยฅ24.03
-0.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.29 ยฅ50.9
$13.46 ยฅ93.9
-45.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ยฅ6.49
$0.95 ยฅ6.60
-2.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ยฅ12.66
$1.85 ยฅ12.89
-2.16%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
$0.44 ยฅ3.07
-9.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.33 ยฅ191
$22.17 ยฅ155
23.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ยฅ8.55
$1.63 ยฅ11.38
-25.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ยฅ1.97
$0.34 ยฅ2.39
-17.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.29 ยฅ29.93
$6.91 ยฅ48.22
-37.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ยฅ7.85
$1.18 ยฅ8.26
-5.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.4K ยฅ128.7K
$23.3K ยฅ162.6K
-20.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K ยฅ115.5K
$20.7K ยฅ144.5K
-20.07%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.46 ยฅ310
$67.2 ยฅ469
-33.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.65 ยฅ81.3
$8.23 ยฅ57.5
41.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
$12.94 ยฅ90.3
-11.21%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.50 ยฅ171
$49.27 ยฅ344
-50.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.27 ยฅ78.7
$17.48 ยฅ122
-35.53%
Cinema Ticket
$5.58 ยฅ38.96
$6.91 ยฅ48.20
-19.25%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$339 ยฅ2,364
$462 ยฅ3,227
-26.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K ยฅ86.0K
$20.9K ยฅ145.9K
-41.04%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.09 ยฅ259
$48.87 ยฅ341
-24.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.29 ยฅ267
$30.17 ยฅ211
26.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.6 ยฅ458
$77.0 ยฅ538
-14.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.5 ยฅ353
$80.5 ยฅ562
-37.27%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$316 ยฅ2,207
$742 ยฅ5,179
-57.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 ยฅ1,251
$406 ยฅ2,835
-55.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ยฅ4,263
$1,654 ยฅ11.5K
-63.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 ยฅ2,329
$901 ยฅ6,292
-62.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,998 ยฅ27.9K
$13.5K ยฅ93.9K
-70.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,015 ยฅ14.1K
$5,966 ยฅ41.6K
-66.22%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chengdu
Shenzhen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,110 ยฅ7,744
$1,588 ยฅ11.1K
-30.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.21
4.04
4.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chengdu: January 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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