Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Dongguan versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Dongguan $813
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,291 in Dongguan versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Dongguan $1,291
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Dongguan versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Dongguan $1,768
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Dongguan costs roughly 29% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dongguan 40% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 ¥17.18

$3.67 ¥24.53

-29.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.04 ¥147

$29.43 ¥197

-25.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.15

$5.28 ¥35.28

-0.38%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.13

$3.27 ¥21.83

-21.71%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.54 ¥3.63

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.33 ¥2.20

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$1.53 ¥10.23

-39.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.79

$2.15 ¥14.38

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.62 ¥10.85

-1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.62 ¥10.85

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.90

$1.09 ¥7.27

-5.50%

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.71 ¥11.44

-2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.79 ¥139

$21.39 ¥143

-2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ¥22.99

$3.45 ¥23.08

-0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ¥95.2

$14.25 ¥95.3

-0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$2.34 ¥15.64

-2.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$1.58 ¥10.55

-0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.95

$1.95 ¥13.03

-0.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.47 ¥9.85

-3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.08 ¥7.21

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.25 ¥8.35

-0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.59 ¥3.97

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.59 ¥3.95

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 ¥30.03

$4.41 ¥29.47

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$11.73 ¥78.4

1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$0.98 ¥6.57

-12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.75 ¥11.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.63 ¥4.20

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.79 ¥152

$22.28 ¥149

2.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.45 ¥9.71

-18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.39 ¥2.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.14

$7.02 ¥46.93

-37.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$1.34 ¥8.97

-4.48%

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

$19.5K ¥130.7K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

0.62%

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

$18.6K ¥124.5K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

2.63%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$65.1 ¥435

-2.06%

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

$9.24 ¥61.8

$10.25 ¥68.5

-9.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.08 ¥87.5

$16.17 ¥108

-19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ¥341

$48.78 ¥326

4.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$17.24 ¥115

-7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ¥51.3

$7.51 ¥50.2

2.13%

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

$533 ¥3,565

$538 ¥3,596

-0.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.6K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.76 ¥313

$54.9 ¥367

-14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 ¥270

$40.04 ¥268

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥490

$72.4 ¥484

1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.10 ¥261

$93.4 ¥624

-58.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,490

$768 ¥5,135

-51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$486 ¥3,248

-55.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,426

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-66.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,882

$869 ¥5,813

-50.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ¥38.2K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-58.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,066 ¥20.5K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-49.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 ¥5,734

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-50.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$246 30.3%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 2% $4.9

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$218 26.8%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 123% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$90 11%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 30.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$86 10.6%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 6.3% $5.4

Eating Out

Dongguan

$79 9.7%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 26.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$66 8.2%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 3.9% $2.6

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.4%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 3.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $372 in Dongguan and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 102% 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: $22.00 in Dongguan vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $251 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

Same time as Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

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

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Dongguan Shenzhen 62 km

From you

Dongguan
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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

Dongguan vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 102% 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: $372 in Dongguan versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 2% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $533 in Dongguan versus $538 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $813 in Dongguan versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.