Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guiyang and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Guiyang: $716 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Guiyang
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Guiyang Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Guiyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $716 per month in Guiyang vs $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Guiyang $716
Shenzhen $1,138

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Guiyang vs $1,750 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Guiyang $1,134
Shenzhen $1,750

A family of three spends $1,553 per month in Guiyang vs $2,362 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Guiyang $1,553
Shenzhen $2,362

Guiyang is about 37% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Guiyang and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Guiyang 47% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.97

$3.67 ¥24.53

-22.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.82 ¥146

$29.43 ¥197

-25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.98

$5.28 ¥35.28

-9.47%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.73

$3.27 ¥21.83

-9.79%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.54 ¥3.63

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.33 ¥2.20

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$1.53 ¥10.23

-41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.86

$2.15 ¥14.38

-3.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.62 ¥10.85

11.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.62 ¥10.85

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$1.09 ¥7.27

-11.01%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.65

$1.71 ¥11.44

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ¥84.4

$21.39 ¥143

-41.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.93

$3.45 ¥23.08

-4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 ¥67.3

$14.25 ¥95.3

-29.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$2.34 ¥15.64

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.58 ¥10.55

-24.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$1.95 ¥13.03

-23.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.47 ¥9.85

-24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$1.08 ¥7.21

-36.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$1.25 ¥8.35

-27.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.59 ¥3.97

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$0.59 ¥3.95

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.13

$4.41 ¥29.47

-28.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$11.73 ¥78.4

-11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$0.98 ¥6.57

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$1.75 ¥11.69

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.63 ¥4.20

-53.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$22.28 ¥149

-23.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.03

$1.45 ¥9.71

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.39 ¥2.60

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.60 ¥44.10

$7.02 ¥46.93

-5.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.34 ¥8.97

-11.94%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-1.38%

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

$17.1K ¥114.6K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-5.57%

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

$45.97 ¥307

$65.1 ¥435

-29.39%

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

$9.69 ¥64.8

$10.25 ¥68.5

-5.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.79 ¥78.8

$16.17 ¥108

-27.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.04 ¥274

$48.78 ¥326

-15.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.92 ¥93.1

$17.24 ¥115

-19.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.65

$7.51 ¥50.2

-19.04%

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

$331 ¥2,211

$538 ¥3,596

-38.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.6K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-31.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.28 ¥296

$54.9 ¥367

-19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.65 ¥205

$40.04 ¥268

-23.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$72.4 ¥484

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$93.4 ¥624

-24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,862

$768 ¥5,135

-63.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,307

$486 ¥3,248

-59.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥3,888

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-70.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,451

$869 ¥5,813

-57.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,040 ¥20.3K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-77.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥13.5K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-66.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.35

16.12%

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

Last update for Guiyang: 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

Guiyang

$197 27.5%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 27.8% $55

Accommodation & Living

Guiyang

$195 27.3%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 149% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Guiyang

$98 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 19.9% $19

Eating Out

Guiyang

$84 11.7%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 18.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guiyang

$67 9.4%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 35.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Guiyang

$53 7.4%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 19.9% $11

Getting Around

Guiyang

$21 3%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 32.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Guiyang versus $768 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Guiyang versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $251 – making Guiyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guiyang

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

Same time as Guiyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,324,561

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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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

Guiyang vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $716 in Guiyang, $1,138 in Shenzhen – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,074 per month in Guiyang and $1,706 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guiyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Guiyang and $538 in Shenzhen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guiyang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Guiyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guiyang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Guiyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.