Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heyuan and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Heyuan vs $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Heyuan $792
Shenzhen $1,131

A couple spends around $1,284 per month in Heyuan vs $1,741 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Heyuan $1,284
Shenzhen $1,741

A family of three spends $1,776 per month in Heyuan vs $2,352 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Heyuan $1,776
Shenzhen $2,352

Heyuan is about 30% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Heyuan and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Heyuan 42% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.44

$3.73 ¥24.93

-17.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.30 ¥196

$29.92 ¥200

-2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.68

$5.36 ¥35.83

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.47

$3.39 ¥22.66

-9.73%

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

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.55 ¥3.67

5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.25

$0.35 ¥2.36

-2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 ¥9.11

$1.47 ¥9.84

-7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.38

$2.17 ¥14.50

26.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.95

$1.59 ¥10.64

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$1.63 ¥10.88

17.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.14 ¥7.59

-2.63%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.78 ¥11.89

-14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 ¥109

$21.25 ¥142

-23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 ¥34.37

$3.45 ¥23.10

48.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 ¥81.8

$14.69 ¥98.2

-16.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$2.23 ¥14.94

2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.61 ¥10.73

-24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.22

$1.89 ¥12.67

-26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.41 ¥9.41

26.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.04 ¥6.95

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.92

$1.25 ¥8.36

-5.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$0.56 ¥3.76

48.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$0.61 ¥4.05

8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥26.04

$4.38 ¥29.30

-10.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$11.72 ¥78.4

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$0.98 ¥6.53

4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.71

$1.83 ¥12.21

3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.57 ¥3.82

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.71 ¥118

$22.57 ¥151

-21.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$1.52 ¥10.15

21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.38 ¥2.55

13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 ¥48.04

$6.99 ¥46.71

2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.35 ¥9.02

-1.48%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-3.26%

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

$17.7K ¥118.6K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-0.96%

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

$61.4 ¥410

$62.8 ¥420

-2.23%

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

$16.39 ¥110

$10.25 ¥68.5

59.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.49 ¥96.9

$16.36 ¥109

-11.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 ¥275

$49.52 ¥331

-16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 ¥101

$17.32 ¥116

-12.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.72

$7.64 ¥51.1

-14.40%

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

$422 ¥2,823

$526 ¥3,519

-19.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥163.4K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-0.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥329

$55.1 ¥369

-10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.47 ¥277

$39.99 ¥267

3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 ¥542

$72.3 ¥484

12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ¥467

$92.7 ¥620

-24.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,026

$771 ¥5,158

-60.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,218

$478 ¥3,195

-61.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,165

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-68.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,507

$852 ¥5,696

-55.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,487 ¥23.3K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-74.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 ¥13.0K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-67.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,362 ¥9,104

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-22.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.35

0.90%

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

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Heyuan

$239 30.1%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 5.4% $13

Accommodation & Living

Heyuan

$182 23%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 162% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Heyuan

$109 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 7.6% $8.3

Eating Out

Heyuan

$93 11.8%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 9.3% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heyuan

$92 11.6%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 3.1% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Heyuan

$54 6.9%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 19.4% $11

Getting Around

Heyuan

$23 2.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 23.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Heyuan versus $771 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan versus $30.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $251 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

Same time as Heyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,953,019

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

Heyuan vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $792 in Heyuan, $1,131 in Shenzhen – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,188 per month in Heyuan and $1,696 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 5% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan and $30.00 in Shenzhen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – 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 Heyuan. 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.