Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuzhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
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Fuzhou Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Fuzhou $762
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,227 in Fuzhou versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Fuzhou $1,227
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,692 in Fuzhou versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Fuzhou $1,692
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Fuzhou costs roughly 33% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fuzhou 44% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$3.67 ¥24.53

-16.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 ¥154

$29.43 ¥197

-21.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$5.28 ¥35.28

-3.79%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.74

$3.27 ¥21.83

-23.55%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.54 ¥3.63

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.33 ¥2.20

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$1.53 ¥10.23

-43.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$2.15 ¥14.38

-19.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ¥13.81

$1.62 ¥10.85

27.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.62 ¥10.85

-12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.09 ¥7.27

-14.68%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.71 ¥11.44

-9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 ¥51.1

$21.39 ¥143

-64.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ¥14.58

$3.45 ¥23.08

-36.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥60.0

$14.25 ¥95.3

-37.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$2.34 ¥15.64

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.58 ¥10.55

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.95 ¥13.03

-13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$1.47 ¥9.85

-27.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.63

$1.08 ¥7.21

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.25 ¥8.35

-19.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.59 ¥3.97

-25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.49

$0.59 ¥3.95

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ¥20.13

$4.41 ¥29.47

-31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 ¥73.5

$11.73 ¥78.4

-6.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.81

$0.98 ¥6.57

-26.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.75 ¥11.69

-30.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.63 ¥4.20

-53.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.66 ¥158

$22.28 ¥149

6.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.45 ¥9.71

4.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.39 ¥2.60

-25.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$7.02 ¥46.93

3.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$1.34 ¥8.97

-6.72%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-0.16%

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

$15.6K ¥104.1K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-14.23%

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

$43.17 ¥289

$65.1 ¥435

-33.69%

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

$8.53 ¥57.1

$10.25 ¥68.5

-16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.94 ¥59.8

$16.17 ¥108

-44.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 ¥283

$48.78 ¥326

-13.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$17.24 ¥115

-14.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.31

$7.51 ¥50.2

-1.73%

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

$209 ¥1,395

$538 ¥3,596

-61.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥81.0K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-50.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.90 ¥267

$54.9 ¥367

-27.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.42 ¥197

$40.04 ¥268

-26.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 ¥605

$72.4 ¥484

24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$93.4 ¥624

-6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥3,060

$768 ¥5,135

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 ¥1,672

$486 ¥3,248

-48.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 ¥6,939

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-47.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ¥3,438

$869 ¥5,813

-40.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,514 ¥30.2K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-67.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,346 ¥15.7K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-61.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ¥6,728

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-42.03%

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 Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fuzhou

$250 32.8%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 94.3% $236

Groceries & Markets

Fuzhou

$175 23%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 43.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Fuzhou

$111 14.6%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 5.7% $6.3

Eating Out

Fuzhou

$80 10.6%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 24% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuzhou

$61 8%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 50.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Fuzhou

$57 7.5%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 11.9% $6.8

Getting Around

Fuzhou

$28 3.6%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 1.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Fuzhou and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 72% 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: $23.00 in Fuzhou vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $251 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Fuzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,291,268

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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Fuzhou Shenzhen 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 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

Fuzhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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: $458 in Fuzhou versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $762 per month in Fuzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou 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 Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.